Song of the Wind
by Candyland
Summary: Part II of the Legends Trilogy. Sequel to Tears of the Sea. It is the great paradox. For every ying, there must be a yang. Light and dark. Black and white. Good and evil. So if the Magic Knights are good...
1. Prologue: A New Beginning

**AN: **Well, I did it. I'm actually doing it. It took me a year and a half to write _Tears of the Sea_. And now I'm signing myself up for another year or so of writing on the sequel. But I had so many ideas that didn't make it into the original that I just had to use…so here you are. If you're just tuning in, feel free to read ahead—I'll try to give details for review, but some of this might not make sense if you haven't read _TotS_.

And now, behold, the prologue or first chapter or whatever you want to call it! I don't own MKR. They belong to CLAMP. But Kagura, Takeshi, Amaya and Co., and any other random characters I make up are all mine. If you really want to use them, just ask.

* * *

**Prologue**

"We found the Promised," a voice came from the shadows.

A smile. "Excellent. Do not waste time," was the response. "There is no time to waste."

There was a rustle of cloth as the speaker departed, supposedly to carry out the order.

The one who had given the order watched as an image appeared in the pool before her. A young woman, most likely in her early twenties. Chocolate-colored eyes and dark hair that was undoubtedly the envy of many. This was the face of the Promised, if her comrade was to be believed.

One gloved finger reached down and touched the pool's surface, sending ripples over the image there. Those ripples caught the dim light, and reflected against luminous silver-gray eyes.

It was almost time.

_

* * *

Upon returning to her room after working on a project in the campus library for several hours, Ryuuzaki Umi made a slightly-unusual discovery. Her hand closed around the knob to the dorm room she shared with her longtime friend Watanabe Kagura, but she was startled when it stopped after a quarter-turn and refused to budge any further. The door was locked._

"That's weird," she frowned, muttering her thoughts aloud to herself. "I thought Kagura said she wasn't going anywhere tonight. She never locks the door when she's in the room unless she's…yeah, she's probably sleeping or something."

Shrugging it off and deciding not to knock, lest she wake her friend, she fished into her pocket, located her keyring, and after selecting the appropriate one, unlocked the door and stepped inside with the intention of dropping her bag, yanking on the most comfortable pair of pajama pants she owned and crashing royally for the next eight or so hours. After all, it was a rarity that a college kid could get that kind of sleep in one night, especially with finals approaching and projects coming due.

There was a muffled thump as backpack slid from her shoulder to the floor; she didn't even notice that it had landed heavily on her foot. The key ring fell from suddenly-nerveless fingers and clattered loudly on the tile floor beside it.

Umi stifled a scream.

The dorm room was completely torn apart. Clothes, papers, books—all of them and more had been ripped to shreds and scattered around like confetti at a New Year's party. One of the mattresses had been torn open, and the foamy stuffing was everywhere. Even the sturdy wooden bed-ends and lofts were splintered beyond repair.

Umi took another step in, and heard something crunch beneath her shoe. She looked down, and saw her startled, wide-eyed reflection looking back at her ten times over, from the shards of broken mirror trapped between the toe of her shoe and the tile floor.

At an utter loss, Umi straightened and glanced around, trying desperately to quell the bitter panic rising like bile in the back of her throat. What had happened here? The place certainly hadn't been in this state when she had left for the library a few hours before. And where was her roommate? Kagura was nowhere to be found, and there was absolutely no way to tell if she had been there…

And who could have done this to their room? Ripping everything apart was one thing, but destroying the heavy wooden bed-ends and vanities was another thing entirely. No normal person could have done that without being heard!

A chill threaded its way down Umi's spine. She had encountered creatures in her time that could have done this…but they had all been in Cephiro. _Cephiro…_

Now wholly panicked and whirling around to flee, Umi saw a flash of something red. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she pushed the door closed to investigate the new mystery. Her eyes scanned over the source of the color. And this time, she couldn't hold the scream back.

Scrawled across the wall and the back of the door were Cephirean runes, in brilliant crimson. Something wet, that had run in big fat drops and dripped down the wall and door. It looked like blood…

That, combined with the message it delivered, sent the shriek of horror tearing from Umi's throat.

_DEATH TO THE MAGIC KNIGHTS._

Umi grappled with the doorknob for a second before it finally twisted in her hand and she stumbled and fell into the hallway, where Fuu and Hikaru had spilled from their room next door to see what the commotion was about. Sitting on the floor in the hall, with her back pressed against the opposite wall, Umi pointed with one trembling finger at the chaos.

Others were flying from their rooms, like angry hornets surging out of the nest. In extremely short order, an entire crowd had gathered and was gaping at the mess. Murmurs and hurried whispers swept through the crowd, for no one had any idea who—or what—could have done _that_.

Fuu recovered from her shock first, and started asking if anyone knew where Kagura was. Someone from down the hall said they had seen her go into the room about an hour and a half earlier; they remembered it clearly because Kagura had stopped at their open door to say hello, and had made a comment that it was already so late. But they didn't know where she had gone after that.

And as everyone stared in horror and bewilderment at the remnants of Umi and the missing Kagura's dorm room, the entire room suddenly burst into flames.

* * *

**PS. **_Wow…this is just a prologue, and I've already started leaving cliffies. Bad author, no biscuit!_

_I've barely scratched the surface of outlining this story, so I make no promises as to when I'll be posting the second chapter. But I've got some big plans for this (including a good chunk o' backstory for various originals), so I hope you'll all stay tuned, stick with me, and we'll see what kind of mountains we can drop on the Magic Knights this time!_

_Thanks for reading. Much love!_


	2. Remains of the Day

**AN: **You guys are AMAZING, you know that? Every single one of you! _(huggle-glomps every single reviewer) _Soooooooo in your honor—the next chapter! If you wanna know the truth, I had this chappie started once, and the first five chapters outlined, and then my computer…lost them. Kid you not. They literally vanished from my hard-drive. I was really mad…and then I rewrote it. _(sigh)_

Onward. Important author's note at end. Won't keep you from chapter any longer. No ownie. Can no longer form complete sentences. Send caffeine. Please…

* * *

**Remains of the Day**

It was not horribly cold that night—a small blessing for the sizable number of students standing outside watching the building burn. All had been evicted forcibly from their dorm that night when a fire had suddenly broken out in one of the dorm rooms. Nobody seemed to know what had sparked the fire, but rumors abounded, ranging from a curling iron to full-blown arson.

There were sirens from fire engines approaching, and the red light flickered from those that were already there. The firefighters raced around, trying to find a way to put out the flames. But nothing they did seemed to have any effect whatsoever. The fire simply leapt higher and higher.

Most students were huddled together against the slight chill in the air, standing around in small groups, whispering amongst themselves about the fire, what their speculations concerning the fires origins were, and other random topics. Meanwhile, students flooded from other dorms to look at the spectacle.

But three girls from the burning dorm weren't really paying attention—at least, not in the same way that their fellow residents were. Shidou Hikaru, Hououji Fuu, and Ryuuzaki Umi all huddled together on an old wooden bench within full view of the burning building. Their thoughts were not only on the fire, but on other matters as well.

Kagura was still missing. In the chaos of the fire breaking out and everyone fleeing, they had searched for their absent friend, and found no trace of her. They had asked others now stuck outside, and the story was always the same: the last anyone remembered seeing her was at dinner earlier that night, save for the roommates down the hall who said she had stopped to chat with them at their room about an hour and a half before the blaze ignited. And they swore that she had gone to her room after chatting with them.

And the ravaging of the room had them extremely concerned as well. It was enough of a mystery how someone could have gotten into the room to ransack it when Umi had found it locked—the doors couldn't be locked like that from the inside, the key was required for that. But add to the fact that the place had been ripped to shreds without anyone hearing it, and the savage nature of the destruction, and they had a full-blown mystery on their hands.

"What could have done it?" Hikaru asked solemnly. They were sitting close together, Umi nestled safely in between her two friends, their arms draped around each others' shoulders in a slightly-awkward huddle. It offered warmth, comfort, and the closeness to speak without much risk of being overheard.

"I don't know if anything human could have done that," Fuu commented darkly. "And what about that message on the wall? 'Death to the Magic Knights.' That's pretty clear as far as intent."

Umi simply shivered. They hadn't actually seen that message on the wall—she had simply told them about it. But she had such a vivid mental image of those words splayed across the wall in some dark red liquid that looked so much like blood, dripping and running down the wall…

"Could it be someone from Cephiro?" Hikaru persisted, worry clouding her features.

"It would make sense, given that message," Fuu nodded. Her brows knitted together in her trademark deep thought. "But why would someone from Cephiro be here? And why all the drama? Don't they usually just come after us? It doesn't make sense to give us a warning, they should just attack us and catch us off-guard. The element of surprise and all."

Hikaru nodded grimly. "I really hope Kagura's okay…wish we knew where she was…"

Okay, Umi'd had enough. She just couldn't sit still anymore. "You know what?" Umi stood up suddenly. "I've had it. Sitting here brooding over things won't make them any better. Kagura's probably off somewhere—you know how she is. She'll probably pop up later tonight with an apology and an explanation. But if I sit here much longer, I'm going to go stark raving mad." She waved her hands in front of her in a warding gesture, as if trying to simply brush away the encroaching madness.

"Umi, shouldn't we—" Hikaru began, but she was cut off.

"Sorry, guys, but I'm tired," Umi shook her head; she sounded remorseful. "I'm gonna go throw things at Takeshi's window until he wakes up, and then I'm going to invite myself to crash on his futon for the rest of the night, since we obviously," she gestured towards the burning building, "can't stay in our own rooms tonight."

As she started off towards a building across the street, Fuu frowned. Something about this whole thing bothered her, but what? What was it? She stared at the fire leaping from the building, hoping that perhaps the flames would hold an answer. Her eyes trailed up the walls to the point of the room, where the inferno danced at its highest—

—wait. Point of the roof?

Fuu jumped to her feet and studied it a bit more carefully. The tip of the roof was still pointing straight up towards the sky. But…if the building had been aflame long enough for the fire department to get here, then it probably should have been caving in on itself already, shouldn't it?

In fact, the entire building looked exactly as it always had, save for the red-orange tendrils licking at it. The fire wasn't devouring the building at all. But what did that mean? Could it be…?

As Fuu stared in the horror of realization, the flames suddenly disappeared. Vanished in the blink of an eye, there one moment and gone the next. The building looked as it always did against the darkness of the night sky. Around it, students and firefighters alike murmured in surprise and confusion.

But Fuu had a hunch, and she whirled to call out, "Umi!"

No sooner had her friend's name left her lips did the flames appear anew—in a pillar that shot up from the ground by Umi's feet to reach to the sky, catching Umi right in the middle of it. Instinctively, Umi screamed and threw her arms up in front of her face to protect herself.

Now attention was diverted to this new saga, and students came in, though not quite daring to get too close. This was entirely different—there was actually someone caught in this, and morbid fascination and pity for the trapped girl drew people closer.

In the midst of the flames, Umi squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the first to claim her…only to notice something very odd. She couldn't feel a thing. Nothing at all—if anything, it was still very cool.

Taking a risk, she cracked her eyes open—and felt searing heat against her flesh as the orange-red haze danced before her eyes. She was going to burn up here, like this! Cringing, her eyes automatically snapped shut once more…and the pain of burning disappeared once again into the slight chill of the night.

Now confused, she experimentally inched her eyelids up, and instantly closed them again as the heat once again licked at her and tried to devour her whole. Once her eyes were shut, the temperature dropped back to evening's cool.

She felt it only when her eyes were open…when she could see it…

An illusion?

"Fuu!" Umi swallowed hard and gathered her nerve. "Tell me when I'm clear!"

Fuu stared as Umi, eyes squeezed tightly closed, took a step forward, right into the flames themselves…and nothing happened. She passed through them like there was nothing there at all. It took her a few steps before she was completely past them, and Fuu called out to her, "Clear!"

Umi opened her eyes and turned. The fire surged with a sudden shriek that sounded far too human for comfort…and then contracted into itself and vanished without so much as a puff of smoke. There were no burn marks on the ground, and the building where the fire had first attached itself was in seemingly perfect condition. If they hadn't seen it for themselves, they probably wouldn't have believed that anything had happened at all.

The assembled students and firefighters stared and murmured. The firefighters headed into the building, most likely searching for the source of the mysterious blaze that had vanished before their eyes. A few were heading towards the spot where the fire had attacked Umi, undoubtedly to investigate that as well.

One asked if she was all right. She nodded, and quietly escaped back to the comfort of her two friends before there could be any further queries. "Well?" she hissed furtively. "What do we do now?"

There was a moment of silence as all three pondered this question. They knew what the significance of the fires being illusions was. And it added an entirely new dimension to what had already transpired that evening.

"I think," Fuu finally spoke, slowly, "that we should get out of the open. Then we can talk."

* * *

"Mmmph…" Takeshi muttered, pushing open the door to the outside. "Whaddya want?" His words were barely understandable, and he looked quite unruly in his gray sweatpants, oversized T-shirt, and dark hair that stuck up in the most random of spikes. Obviously, he had been sound asleep…until Umi had started chucking rocks at his window in lieu of a wake-up call. He didn't look terribly thrilled at the rude awakening, either.

"We need a place to crash," Umi said matter-of-factly, stepping past him into the building. Hikaru and Fuu followed suit, and they led the way up the stairs to his second story dorm room. "Well?" Umi pointed at the locked door. "Make with the opening, please."

Takeshi arched one tired eyebrow at her. "'scuse me," he mumbled, "but that's my room."

"Right," Fuu said cheerily, "and you have a futon and floor space, and we're not allowed back into our dorm for the time being because they're investigating the source of the fire. So please lend us your floor so we might get some sleep before we have to go to class tomorrow."

"Hmmm…well, if that's the reason," Takeshi shuffled past them, key in hand, "then I s'pose I can let you. My roommate's not here, so there's plenty of—" He stopped with the doorknob in mid-turn as reality suddenly clocked back in for work. "Wait…did you say fire?"

"Good morning!" Hikaru reached up to ruffle his hair affectionately as she bounced into his room. "Welcome back to Earth, we're glad to have you."

He looked a bit sheepish at the ribbing, but closed the door when they were inside, locked it from the inside, and sat down on the end of the futon. "Okay, I went to bed early, so you're going to have to fill me in here. What happened?"

It didn't take terribly long to explain the events of the evening to him. They began with Umi's discovery of a ransacking upon her return to her own dorm room, the seemingly miraculous appearance of the fire therein, and the apparent magical nature of the fire overall, culminating in the pillar of fire that threatened to swallow Umi whole.

Takeshi listened quietly until they were done. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You say you're certain the fire was an illusion? But how is that possible?"

"Remember Caldina?" Fuu asked. "That was her magic—she could work very believable illusions. The trick with them was that they could only hurt you if you could see them. If you closed your eyes, then they had no effect on you."

"When I was in the middle of it, as long as my eyes were closed, I couldn't feel anything," Umi added. "When I tried to open my eyes, I fried. But as long as I couldn't see it, I could step right through it and not feel a thing."

He nodded. "Do you think it's someone tied to Cephiro?"

"That was our idea," Hikaru nodded. "But we really don't know. Just that they apparently don't like us because we're Magic Knights, and they can use illusions. And…this might have something to do with the fact that no one knows where Kagura is."

"Someone kidnapped her?" his expression grew horrified.

"We don't know. But the last time anyone definitely remembers seeing her was almost two and a half hours ago," Fuu replied shortly. "She stopped and chatted with some people down the hall, and they said she went back to her room. No one's seen her since, and we're worried. The library's closed. If she came back and found the dorm shut down, she would probably come here. I'm worried."

"Does this mean we'll go back to Cephiro again?" Umi asked quietly.

Silence met her rhetorical question. For a long moment, no one spoke.

Finally, Takeshi stood up. "Well," he sighed, stretching his long arms over his head hard enough that his back cracked, "we're not accomplishing anything. Everyone's tired, and everyone's nervous. Bad combination for trying to think things through with any kind of logic. So here's what I think we should do—let's all make ourselves comfortable, and pass out until morning. Then we'll try to make heads or tails out of this whole stupid situation." He gave them all a Look that plainly said he would not take _no_ for an answer. "Sound like a reasonable plan?"

Three mute nods met his suggestion, and with little else said they muddled around in search of blankets and comfortable spots to curl up. Takeshi took to his own bed, while Umi opted to snatch a pillow and blanket and sprawl out in the middle of the carpet, and Fuu and Hikaru each took an end of the futon and curled up so as not to disturb the other.

And soon, the four confused, frightened young adults were lost to the realm of sleep.

But not for long…

* * *

The sound of a tap on the window shook Hikaru rather abruptly from her uneasy slumber, curled at one end of the futon in Takeshi's room. She sat up, momentarily disoriented as she looked around in bewilderment. Where was she, exactly?

Then she remembered—after the strange events earlier that had culminated in flames, which had proven to be illusions, they had taken refuge for the night in Takeshi's room. She had snagged a pillow, curled up on the floor, and zonked out without a second thought.

Another tap on the glass reminded her why she had woken up. She clambered over and looked out the window in search of the source of the annoyance. Sure enough, she spotted a figure standing in the grass below Takeshi's window, arm raised to lob what was probably another rock at the window. But when the figure actually threw it, its head fell back, and she got a good look at the face by the light of a nearby streetlamp. Hikaru froze.

Kagura.

Instantly, for reasons she couldn't quite grasp, Hikaru's gut twisted into a solid knot. Kagura was down there, obviously trying to get someone's attention in the same way that they had earlier gotten Takeshi's. She could see quite plainly that it was her friend. So why did she feel so nervous?

Fuu's influence began to show itself then as logical thinking took over. It was late—or rather, early, as the clock currently read it to be going on three in the morning. She was exhausted, and she was extremely shaken from what had happened earlier. Between the dorm room, the fire, and everything else, it was no wonder she was jumpy.

She pulled away from the window, snagging her sweatshirt from the floor as she made her way to the door. In short order, she had shoved her feet into her flip-flops, borrowed Takeshi's ID card from the desk so she could get back into the building, and slipped out the door.

As the door closed with a soft click, Fuu stirred and opened her eyes.

* * *

It had gotten colder, Hikaru realized the moment she stepped outside. She shivered, having only her sweatshirt for protection against that chill and only flip-flops on her feet, and decided it would be best to grab Kagura and get back inside as soon as was humanly possible. She darted around the building to the side Takeshi's window faced, and found herself presented with a profile of the rock-thrower.

"Kagura?" Hikaru called, feeling extremely uneasy; the dark-haired girl turned, though, and part of that anxiety evaporated when she saw up-close that it was, indeed, their missing friend. "Oh my God, where have you been? We were so worried." She glanced around. "Something weird's going on."

The dark-haired girl's face reflected the utmost concern, and Hikaru felt a bit better. Maybe her anxiety was unfounded, brought on by the fire and the illusion attack. Kagura took a step towards her. "I was out running some errands. I thought I'd be back sooner. What happened? Why's everyone outside? What happened to the dorm?" She shoved her hands into her coat pockets against the chill.

"There was a fire…sort of," Hikaru explained quickly. "I mean, the building looked like it was on fire and we could feel the heat, but the building didn't actually burn up. And then the fire attacked Umi, but it was an illusion! The whole fire was an illusion!"

"Hikaru, that doesn't make any sense," Kagura shook her head.

"I'm telling you, it's true!" Hikaru insisted, then frowned. "It's almost like Caldina's illusions. When Umi closed her eyes, the fire couldn't touch her. But when she opened her eyes, she got burned. It's like Cephiro. But those things shouldn't work here!"

"From Cephiro?" Kagura repeated incredulously. "Why would that be here?"

"I don't know. But something happened before the fire and the illusions and everything, too—Umi got back to your room, and it was destroyed!" Hikaru rushed on in frantic explanation. "Someone ransacked your dorm room—I don't know if any of your stuff was ruined or anything, but the place was completely torn apart!"

There was a long pause during which Kagura seemed to process this disjointed information. Then a decidedly feral smile broke on her face, and she withdrew one hand from her pocket, holding something. "Well, then, it seems that Nairi did her job."

What occurred next happened so quickly that Hikaru would later be unable to remember the really significant details. She saw the shark-like grin shining on Kagura's face, and knew instantly that whoever this girl was, she was not Kagura. She saw the smile, and she saw a shadowy blur as the girl moved, and the flash of silver…

Years of martial arts and kendo training had left Shidou Hikaru with amazingly fast reflexes. Still, she felt the rush of air as the sword swung past her midsection, silvery blade almost glowing in the dim light. She had managed to jump back, arching her shoulders forward to avoid what was most certainly a killing blow. Landing lightly on her feet, she jumped back again to put a bit more distance between herself and her apparent executioner, landing in a defensive crouch.

The girl may have worn Kagura's face, but there was no longer any doubt as to whether or not this was Kagura. The expression that twisted the pretty features would have never found a home on the true Kagura's face, _especially_ not directed at Hikaru. Furthermore, the real Kagura would never have raised so much as a hand to the girl she had taken almost as a younger sister, let alone taking a weapon against her.

"Hmph. Not bad," the girl smirked; she wielded a long silver blade, holding it expertly in front of her. "I expected nothing less, Shidou Hikaru, Magic Knight of Rayearth, Spirit of Fire."

Hikaru should not have been as surprised as she was by this proclamation, but she couldn't quite keep her jaw from dropping a bit. She recovered herself quickly, though, and her own expression darkened. "You're from Cephiro." It was a statement, not a question. "You were the one who trashed Umi's dorm room." Her fists tightened at her sides. "Who's…Nairi? And what have you done with Kagura?"

"She is unharmed," the girl said casually, ignoring the first question while tracing a tiny pattern in the air by her head with the tip of her sword; she seemed bored by the proceedings. "I give you my word on that—and she will not be harmed by myself or my colleagues."

"Colleagues?" Hikaru repeated blankly.

"I assure you, your dear Kagura is under their expert care," the girl went on. "She is safe. You, on the other hand…well," she tightened her hold on her sword and readied it, "you, we still have to deal with."

"What do you want with her?" Hikaru persisted, inching backwards. She was alone against an armed opponent who knew far more about her than she was comfortable with. There was no way she could face this on her own. "Why do you want Kagura?"

"You have already met your destiny, Magic Knight," the girl who wore Kagura's face replied calmly. "Hers is merely beginning." Without another word—even so much as a warning—she attacked, and the sword fell once more.

Hikaru dodged, but felt a searing jolt of pain as something sliced into her shoulder. Craning her neck around, she saw the hilt of a dagger whizzing past her, directly in front of her face, in a flourish of crimson. It had missed her, just barely, instead nicking her shoulder enough to have already drawn a fair amount of blood. And it hurt!

Her enemy landed lightly on her own feet, having actually leapt over Hikaru. She still held her blade, but now her free hand was extended. Hikaru realized that gesture—her opponent had thrown the dagger at a moving target—while moving herself—with frightening accuracy. And she had done damage.

The redhead managed to hit the ground safely, somersaulting back to her feet. But now one hand clutched at her injured shoulder, and her movements were considerably slower. Her opponent, however, almost seemed spurned on by the sight of blood, and actually sped up, attacking Hikaru more fiercely and more viciously than before.

As Hikaru twisted to see the sword coming down at her head, her opponent suddenly jerked off to the side, sending the blow swinging wide and allowing Hikaru enough time to dive off to one side and move out of the way. Once she was momentarily safe, she looked to see who and/or what had saved her.

A rather sizable book lay on the grass by the false Kagura's feet, and she had one hand to her head, expression contorted into a combination of pain and rage. And facing her squarely was Fuu, whose own features were equally furious. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together and get four; Fuu had thrown the book, nailing the fake Kagura squarely in the head, enough to distract her from her target.

But their enemy recovered quickly and turned her attentions to the new challenge before her. "So we meet at last, Hououji Fuu, Magic Knight of Windam, Spirit of Wind." The sword was raised and shone white in the light of the nearby streetlamp. "A pleasure."

"Who are you?" Fuu growled. Behind her, two more figures skidded onto the scene.

"Your executioner," the girl replied haughtily. "My name is not important. But first…"

And she turned and once again leapt at Hikaru, brandishing her sword with frightening expertise. She was so close, there was no time to dodge, she had nowhere to go…

Hikaru heard her enemy's attacking yell melding into a scream of fury and protest, mingling with Umi's shriek and Fuu's cry and a shout that sounded like Takeshi, and that was the last thing she remembered as she was engulfed in a white-hot light that was all too familiar…

* * *

**PS. **_And we're off and running. Whew. Perhaps a bit shorter than what we're all used to, but then again, we're just getting started…for those of you who read TotS, welcome back!_

_But anyway, I'm sure most of you noticed that I changed the title. The reason…well, the inspiration bug bit Auntie Candy-chan. I started making notes, and found that I once again have a surplus of ideas. So, as I'm sure you could tell from the summary, this is going to be a trilogy of stories, just because I have a few really interesting thoughts that I desperately want to use. Hope you'll stick with me until the end…however long it takes!_

**NEXT CHAPTER: **The Knights are back in Cephiro. But what of Kagura—real and fake? And who in the name of the Pillar are these other people? Maybe we'll find out next time—much love!


	3. For the People

**AN: **I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY!!! D: I know, I fail at life…explanation regarding the wait is in the author's note at the end. Feel free to yell at me if you want—after this wait, I think I deserve it. I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth—all rights belong to CLAMP. I'm just adding onto the canon universe a bit. I think. Sort of. Maybe…ish?

**CHAPTER SOUNDTRACK: **"Lost in the Wilderness," from the musical _Children of Eden_

* * *

**For the People**

In the crystalline palace of Cephiro's capital, Clef's head snapped back, his eyes wide. "What was that?" he murmured. There had been a surge of something, some unknown power, that had hit his senses without warning and sent him reeling from the force of it. He tried to read it, to learn something about it, but it receded too quickly, and he was unable to grasp anything about it.

"Creator," he called softly, knowing he would be heard.

Sure enough, the floating form of Mokona appeared before him, forehead-jewel glowing a beautiful vibrant yellow. "Magic," the Creator spoke.

"I knew you would feel it as well," the diminutive mage said. "Is it…them?"

"It is. Hurry, Guru."

That was all Clef needed to know. He turned and moved quickly across the room. Fortunately, his search didn't take him far; Lantis was outside in the corridor, most likely coming to see him regarding the magical flare from a few moments ago. "Guru, what was—" he started to ask, but was cut off.

"It is them," Clef replied shortly. "The sooner they are brought here, the better. Take the others and go, quickly—find them." He knew he did not have to specify who 'the others' were.

Lantis nodded, bowed, and was gone.

_**-o-**_

Fuu had figured the light for what it was immediately—it really could only be the summons of Cephiro, she knew that from past experience—but she'd realized that something was different when Fyula hadn't appeared to save them. The feeling of wrongness increased when she realized that she couldn't see or hear Umi or Hikaru.

In short, she was alone and plummeting towards the ground at far too high of a speed for her personal comfort. And she couldn't think of anyway to stop herself. Unless…

Would her magic work?

As the ground drew near, she took a deep breath and said a very short prayer to whoever was up there listening…and attempted to call upon the power of Wind. Breath in, focus, reach down to that place inside her that had never quite grown cold, even as she traveled between worlds, and then…

A gust of wind shot from her hands, enveloping her and slowing her down.

Unfortunately, it was too little too late, and she couldn't quite stop herself from dropping into the forest. And once she collided with the first branch, there was no way she could focus enough to pull her magic. Fuu closed her eyes and held her breath.

She somehow managed to miss most of the big branches, but a million tiny twigs tore at her skin, hair, and clothes like so many clawed fingers. By the time she hit the ground, her entire body was prickling from the scratches and cuts.

She lay on her back in the leaves and dirt for a moment, trying to remember how to breathe and move. It took a few moments, but finally, she forced herself to sit up (and ooooh, did it hurt!) and take a look around at her surroundings and herself. Most of the scrapes were fairly superficial—more painful than damaging, really—but there were a few deeps ones where the cuts had drawn blood. Nothing time (or a little magic) wouldn't heal. But more importantly…

…where exactly was she?

Cephiro, she knew. But where in Cephiro? In their past expeditions here, they'd fallen from the sky to be saved by Fyula, the giant flying fish. And they had always been together. But Fyula's absence had left her in a freefall, and somehow she had been separated from her companions. Which probably meant that the Creator hadn't brought them here—Mokona would have prepared for them.

So…what had brought them?

She didn't know. But she realized belatedly that it was probably a good idea to get moving. She was alone in the forest, with no real protection—save for whatever magic she could summon up. Climbing to her feet (if a bit unsteadily), she reached down again in search of her magic…and found herself unable to call it forth to heal herself. How strange, given that she'd been able to call it before to break her fall…

Still, she was the rational sort. And she knew that at that moment, without her ovum-gem and Escudo sword, she technically wasn't in 'Magic Knight mode.' Perhaps her fear from earlier had been able to overcome the barrier that prevented her from using her magic regularly in order to save her from certain, splatty death at the hands of gravity?

It was just a theory, but a relatively sound one, she thought, given the evidence of past experiences—she remembered Umi losing her temper once in a kitchen. The poor plumbers…she doubted that they would ever be able to offer a plausible explanation as to why the faucet on the sink essentially exploded from water pressure.

Still, it meant that she was going to be rather uncomfortable for a little while—at least until she could find the others and hopefully locate Guru Clef. But in order to find everyone, she had to get moving, no matter how much she hurt from the scratches and the rough landing.

And so Fuu walked. She really didn't know which way she was going, but if a person in a forest picked one direction and just started walking in that direction, sooner or later that person would come to the forest's edge, right? So she picked a direction and headed for it.

It took a lot less time than she thought it would to find the edge, and she found herself on the outskirts of a village—it reminded her of the town they had come to on their journey to the Spring of Eterna, where they had fought Alcyone after leaving the Forest of Silence. It seemed a pleasant enough place, and she walked into the town, down what appeared to be the main street. There weren't any people out and about, which seemed rather odd.

"Magic Knight."

Fuu jumped a mile at the voice and whirled around in search of its source. If there was an enemy now…she was alone, she was powerless, defenseless…she wouldn't stand a chance against an opponent.

But she instead found herself staring into the open front door of a small hut. Sitting just inside the door was an elderly woman, hunched and wrinkled with age. But she had a pair of the most incredible blue eyes—second only to Umi's (or Amaya's, really)—and those eyes spoke of knowledge and wisdom beyond anything Fuu could match at this point in her life.

"Magic Knight," the woman repeated, confirming that it was she who had spoken before.

"Yes, I am," Fuu replied, bowing slightly out of respect. "Am I intruding?"

"No, child," the woman intoned. "Come. Sit."

Fuu obeyed, dropping to a kneeling position in the doorway. She waited before she opened her mouth to ask the question that had been bothering her since she first laid eyes on this woman.

"You wonder why I look so old," the woman said, putting voice to Fuu's thoughts, "when I could easily will myself to a younger appearance. I see no shame in aging—for with age comes experience, and with experience comes wisdom. But wisdom means realizing that you truly know nothing."

Fuu nodded. "You are wise."

"And you are searching," the old woman went on, reaching up with one hand to brush a stray lock of white hair out of her eyes. "Searching for those who are lost to you. Searching for your heart's desire. Searching for the answer to the puzzle of why you have been brought here."

"I—yes…" Fuu could only manage that response.

"Drink," the old woman ordered in a tone that allowed for no arguments, reaching forward with one gnarled hand to set a green bowl on the ground in front of her. A dark brown liquid sloshed about inside it. "It will help."

"But—"

"Drink."

Taking a deep breath, Fuu obeyed. The liquid almost tasted like an extremely bitter tea, and the taste nearly made her choke, but she gulped the rest of it down stubbornly. Her magical senses may have been dulled by the absence of the treasures that marked her as a Magic Knight, but she had enough to know that whatever was in the bowl was safe.

When she set the bowl down, a tingle surged through her body. She winced against it, but it subsided as quickly as it had appeared…taking the pain of her landing with it. She looked down at herself to find that all of her injuries were gone—healed as completely as if she had done it herself.

She stared at the woman with wide eyes.

The woman's eyes sparkled knowingly. "It tastes bad, but as you can see, it is very good for you."

"Thank you…" Fuu bowed respectfully. It had also just occurred to her that she was in her pajamas, and the realization had made her feel a bit self-conscious. Granted, dark green pajama pants and a white T-shirt was suitably modest for being in public, but still…she shook it off and returned to the topic at hand. "You spoke of answers, madam. Do you know the answers?"

"I know only that answers are not always what we wish them to be," she said slowly. "Seek, but use caution, Magic Knight. For there are those who would help you, those who would love you…and those who would destroy you. And likewise, there are those you would help, those you would love, and those you would destroy. Which of these have brought you here?"

Fuu was silent. It seemed this woman knew more than she was saying…even the obscure riddles made it clear that there was something hovering just below the surface of the old woman's words.

Still, it made Fuu wonder what adventure Cephiro would hold for them this time around…

"FUU!"

Her thoughts and her conversation were interrupted by a voice calling her name. Not Umi or Hikaru, but a masculine voice. One that she knew as well as her own name…one that she had missed so terribly over the months…

She rose from her knees and turned. "Ferio…"

Belatedly, she thought to say goodbye to the old woman and thank her for her help—obscure as the help was, anyway. She turned back with the intention of doing so…to find that she was alone in the hut. But…she was standing in the only exit…

So how…?

Shaking it off as another oddity of Cephiro (and trying to ignore the nagging feeling that she had just missed something major), she turned and sprinted to let herself be swept up in the arms of Cephiro's Prince, the man she had given her heart to so long ago.

_**-o-**_

The water was freezing.

Umi landed in the pond with a splash that probably shot up high enough to touch the sky. For a moment, her entire body hurt with the force of impact to the point where she couldn't move. Coupled with the icy chill of the water…she went numb.

Then instinct kicked in, and she started swimming, frantically clawing her way to the top. Just as her lungs were starting to burn with a need for air, her head broke the water's surface, and she gasped and sputtered and gulped in huge lungfuls of precious, precious oxygen. She bobbed there in the water for a moment or three, trying to clear her head and figure out where to go next.

_Okay, Umi,_ she told herself. _WWFD—what would Fuu do?_

It was at moments like these that she was thankful for her friend's good influence. The Umi of the past would have spazzed and panicked and probably screamed at the situation, even though it wouldn't have done much (if any) good. The Umi of now…well, she had still had her moment of spazzing and panicking, but now she'd calmed herself down to think things through and try to work the situation out.

Well, first of all, Fuu would have gotten to shore.

Mentally kicking herself, Umi started swimming. It wasn't a large lake, but she was rather shaky from the fall and everything else. She finally clambered up onto land—wonderful, sturdy, safe, dry land—and sat there for a moment to catch her breath.

What in the world had happened? One minute she was sound asleep, peacefully snoozing away on Takeshi's, having a nice dream that may or may not have involved Johnny Depp…and the next thing she knew she was opening her eyes to find herself in a freefall towards a beautiful landscape that she hadn't seen for quite a while. But it was all wrong—where was Fyula? And where were Hikaru and Fuu?

…and Kagura, for that matter?

She was far more concerned for Kagura than for her other friends. Fuu and Hikaru were Magic Knights. They knew enough of Cephiro to know what to expect and how to defend themselves. Kagura was a fighter—the girl could be frighteningly strong when the situation required it—but she had no such experience. She had seen Cephiro, but not at the level the other two had.

A rustle in the bushes nearby drew her back to reality, and she realized how long she had been sitting there contemplating things. Better get moving before something decided to try and attack her. Magic Knight or not, she was still at a severe disadvantage with neither sword nor magic to defend herself.

It didn't take her long to spot a potential safe-haven, though: there was a village near the lake. She took off towards it as fast as she could—which wasn't as fast as she would have liked, all factors tallied in.

As she walked into the village, she became acutely aware of her appearance—she was wearing her clothes from earlier, the jeans and shirt she'd fallen asleep in, and she was soaked from head to toe. Needless to say, she looked vastly different from the few villagers who were out and about, and it was evident in the way they looked at her, like she was some peculiar, frightening specimen on a dissecting table. Their looks were wary. Suspicious.

Distrustful.

Until someone recognized her—she heard a voice from the back of the crowd call out her title.

"Magic Knight!"

At the sound of the male voice, the tension shattered into cheers as a crowd surged around her. Umi was nearly swept away by the mass of people lauding her as a hero of Cephiro. She was startled enough that when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her through the throng and into one of the houses, she did not put up a fight.

Her rescuer—a pretty, if plain woman—closed a curtain over the door, momentarily shutting the screaming crowd outside. She turned to Umi and smiled. "Apologies, Magic Knight. We are not usually honored by such a visit." She bowed. "I am Karin, and I am the village leader."

Umi bobbed up and down in a quick return bow. "I understand—thank you. I'm Umi."

"Forgive my rudeness, but…what has befallen ye?"

"Oh—I sort of fell into the lake," Umi said sheepishly. It was the truth…just leaving out the part about having fallen from the sky into the lake. If the Magic Knights had been summoned, that probably meant that there was trouble in Cephiro, and if someone realized that, it could be disastrous. It wouldn't do to cause such a panic.

Sure enough, Karin's next question was, "Are ye visiting Cephiro?"

"Yes," Umi replied. Again, the truth—just not all of it. "But I was separated from the others. And then…" she glanced down at her wet clothes again and shivered, "…I tripped and went splash."

"Allow me the honor giving ye something to wear," Karin crossed the room to move through a doorway into a connecting room. "Nothing fancy, but far better than being cold and wet, aye?" She gestured for Umi to follow. The next room was as plain as the first one had been, but certainly seemed cozy enough—practicality before extravagance.

Umi waited as Karin crossed to a large wardrobe, opened it, and began fishing around inside of it. It wasn't long before she withdrew, her arms now filled with something blue and white. "The Knight of Water should wear blue," Karin said knowingly, passing her the garments. "'Tis simple, but 'tis dry. I'll leave ye to change." She absented herself quickly.

Umi shivered again, and that decided her. She stripped off her wet clothes in record time, putting them in the neatest bundle possible on the floor. Then she pulled on the clothes she had been given, reveling in the simple fact that they were dry. It was definitely a Cephirean style—a blue tunic over a loose white shirt cinched with a black belt. The baggy white pants were only a little too big.

Plus, she realized as she combed her fingers through her hair, if she was wearing Cephirean clothing, she wouldn't stand out half as much as she would in her normal Earth clothing.

All in all, a much more agreeable state of affairs.

She'd figure out the rest when she got to the palace.

When she stepped out of the room, Karin smiled and nodded approvingly. "Aye, that's much better. But I think ye should know that there's someone lookin' for ye—a young man riding a creature with wings. He said he knew ye to be here." She gestured towards the curtain that covered the front door. "Perhaps ye should go give greeting?"

_A young man on a creature with wings?_ Umi thought for a moment before her face lit up. She turned to Karin and grasped both her hands. "Thank you so much for your help."

"'Twas nothing," the woman laughed. "My honor, Magic Knight. Now off with ye!"

Not needing to be told again, Umi turned and sprinted outside. Sure enough, there was a large monster with wings prowling down the center street, bearing a tall figure in summoner's robes on its back. Umi's heart skipped about twenty beats as she realized hat she'd been right. "ASCOT!"

The man whipped around to look at her; even as far away as she was, she could see the color in his face flare up from its usual pale color to a vibrant red. But he was still wearing his bangs down far enough to hide his eyes, so she couldn't see the upper half of his face.

Without waiting for him to respond, she sprinted towards him, stopping at the monster's feet. She waited as the beast sniffed at her, seemingly trying to ascertain her to be friend or foe. Above her, she heard Ascot saying something, and the monster lowered its head to allow the summoner to step off.

Umi didn't bother waiting—she dove forward and threw her arms around his waist in a tight hug. "Ascot, it is you!" She felt him tense and heard him sputter something unintelligible before his arms came up to nervously return the hug. She held on for a few seconds before leaning back to look up at him. "I missed you! And…" she frowned and raised an eyebrow, "…have you gotten taller?"

He chuckled—it was official.

Umi was still Umi.

_**-o-**_

Well, this was certainly familiar.

Hikaru had closed her eyes against the light…and when she'd opened them, she had found herself sprawled out on a bluff overlooking the landscape that she knew so well as Cephiro. A look around told her that this was the same ledge they had landed on during their very first visit here.

A second look around told her that she was alone.

And a third look around…well, it was really more of an attempt, because as she tried to turn her head, she realized belatedly that she _hurt_. It wasn't completely debilitating, but it was enough that standing up was proving a challenge. Still, she staggered to her feet and leaned against a convenient tree for support. From here, she could see so much of the world…it was so beautiful. This was how Cephiro was truly supposed to look—green and beautiful and alive.

But it still didn't explain where her friends were.

Hikaru suddenly felt more than a little apprehensive. They'd never been separated upon their arrival in Cephiro—the three of them had always been together. For that to change this time around, on top of what had happened just prior to the Summoning...

She might not have been the brightest crayon in the tool shed (that title belonged to Fuu) but even Hikaru could see that this added up to something not being right.

Still, it probably wasn't a good idea to stay in one place for too long. She was here for a reason, and that reason usually wound up involving monster attacks. A sitting target was much easier to catch and eat than a moving one. So she straightened, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her hip, and started walking, searching for anything that might tell her where she was or what was going on.

One of Cephiro's most beautiful features was easily its landscape—sparkling lakes, wide expanses of blue sky, and acres and acres of lush green forests. Unfortunately, Hikaru was none too taken with the forests at the moment, considering that they didn't seem to like her attempts to tromp through them. The plants seemed to actively reach up and grasp at her feet and ankles as though to try and stop her.

She managed to shake it off and pull her feet free…until one plant actually _did_ grab her. Literally—a vine wrapped around her ankle and pulled, flipping her upside down. She was disoriented for a moment, then blinked and shook her head to clear it…and found herself staring a large yellow flower. With a mouth. And lots and lots of really big, really sharp-looking teeth.

And she somehow had the impression that whatever look it was giving her right then (even though it didn't have a face, she felt like it was somehow staring at her and sizing her up) was a hungry one.

Needless to say, Shidou Hikaru was _not_ interested in becoming plant food.

Instinct already had her kicking and twisting to try and free herself, but that wasn't even phasing the thing. And far sooner than she'd expected, the flower (which seemed to have another vine for a neck of sorts) lunged down with its maw gaping open and ready to feast upon its prey.

Hikaru screamed. And then…

_Fire._

She thought it came from her hand, but she wasn't sure. But wherever it appeared from, there was enough of it to drive the Venus person-trap or whatever it was off. The vine unwound from her ankle, dropping her unceremoniously on her head, and the vine with the head on it withdrew back into the shadows of the foliage.

For a moment Hikaru was too stunned, both from her near-meal experience and the bump to her skull, to move much. But she again shook it off and took off running with only one real thought in her mind: get out of the forest. She ended up backtracking to the bluff—it was out in the open, so she could at least see what was coming.

Maybe moving around too much wasn't the best idea…

Okay, it was time to try and think like Fuu for a while. She was in Cephiro—that was quite clear. So she could probably assume that Creator and Clef knew about it. Actually, Creator would most likely be the one who had brought them there in the first place, right? So while she couldn't figure out why Fyula hadn't been there, it stood to reason that someone would come and find her soon, right?

Right.

And so she waited, albeit a little nervously, for a rescue. After a very short while, though, she got bored. So she grabbed a stick of about the right length and started running through kendo moves, just to keep herself calm and focused. Discipline…focus…strength…hoof beats…

Wait, hoof beats?

Yes. It sounded like a horse was approaching, despite the fact that there were no roads in sight for there to be a horse running on. So where in the world was that sound coming from?

She looked around, and when she spotted the black figure in the sky above her, an enormous smile broke on her face. "Lantis!" she waved, and ran towards him and his spirit-beast.

_**-o-**_

Clef waited anxiously for the retrieval mission to return. It seemed that they had been gone far too long—all magical and geographical things considered, he didn't feel it should have taken too much time. Finally, he summoned his own magic and sought to track them. The Creator looked on quietly.

He saw that they had gathered the three girls from Earth, and were well on their way back to the palace. That relieved him somewhat, but he was still restless about the whole situation. The sooner they were all safe within the palace walls, the better. And the sooner they returned, the sooner they could set about trying to piece together what was happening. The return of the Magic Knights…while it was wonderful to see Cephiro's protectors again, it had to be noted that whenever they appeared, it was usually a harbinger of trouble on the horizon.

The rest of the palace inhabitants had congregated; they had apparently gotten wind that something was happening, but they had not been told what that thing was yet. Caldina in particular was abuzz with ideas and gossip, ranging from the plausible to the increasingly absurd.

He checked again. They were nearly back. Excellent.

"Guru, what is going on?" Lafarga finally demanded.

Clef paused for a moment before he simply said, "They're here."

"They?" Caldina asked.

As if on cue, there was a screeching sound nearby that they all recognized as the cry of one of Ascot's friends. A moment later, they heard an all-too-familiar female voice on the other side of the door, chattering away before saying, "In here?"

The doors opened, and Umi popped her pretty blue head in and looked around. "Am I interrupting—CALDINA!" She sprinted across the room to meet the Chizetan dancer halfway for the enormous hug that she knew full well was coming. While the happy reunion was going on, Ascot tiptoed back in quietly and waited. His face was flushed a crimson that would have made Rayearth himself jealous.

Another door opened in the midst of this, and Ferio and Fuu walked in, arm in arm. And a short while later, Hikaru returned with Lantis; she was bubbling about something while he listened and smiled, that shy little smile that he reserved solely for her.

"What happened to you two?" Umi asked her fellow Magic Knights after the hugging and squealing had subsided. "We've never been separated like that before—what was up with that?"

"I fell into a forest. And I do mean fell," Fuu winced at the memory. "So I just wandered around a bit, nursing my bruises, until I found a village. An old woman there helped me, but…" Her eyes clouded as she remembered how the woman had vanished just as Ferio had appeared to rescue her. "…she disappeared. I didn't get her name or anything." She shrugged, as though to brush it off. "Hikaru?"

"Remember where we landed that first time we came here? That's where I hit the ground," she also flinched. "We'll call that an OUCH moment. And then I walked into a scene from _Little Shop of Horrors_—a plant tried to eat me. So I ran. And then I figured that someone would find me sooner or later, so I waited until Lantis found me and brought me back!" She looked up at him with a big smile, and a very faint pink colored his face in response. "What about you, Umi? And where did you get the clothes?"

Umi's smile was strained. "I took a swim. Literally—dropped right into a lake. There was a little town nearby, so I went there. The village leader was a woman, and she hooked me up with some dry clothes. That's why I'm wearing these." She gestured towards blue and white clothes that definitely were not from their area of Earth. "While I was changing, Ascot showed up and was looking for me. And just like both of you, I wound up back here." She frowned. "But that doesn't explain why we weren't together…or why Fyula didn't catch us…or why we're here in the first place."

"I might be able to help with the first part," Hikaru said hesitantly. "I saw Kagura.

"WHAT?" Umi whipped around in shock, inadvertently smacking Ascot in the face with her hair.

Fuu nodded. "I saw her too. Except…I don't think it was really her."

Hikaru shook her head. "I don't think so either." She turned to the native residents of Cephiro's palace and began her explanation. "Our dorm—the building where we live and sleep and stuff—caught on fire, except it wasn't really on fire. It turned out that it was an illusion. But they wouldn't let us back into the building, so we went over to Takeshi's room because he lives in a different building. He let us crash there because it was late. We went to sleep, and it was great for a while."

"But…before all that…" Umi interjected, "I came back to our room to find Kagura gone. She's missing. Furthermore, the room itself was completely trashed. Everything was ripped apart, and I do mean everything. And there was a message on the wall that said 'Death to the Magic Knights.' And that's when the fire started, right in the middle of the room. And then…it was just like Hikaru said. But what happened next? I slept through most of it—I woke up and got down there just as the light hit, and then I was taking an unexpected dip in a lake."

"I heard something hit the window—it woke me up. So I walked over and looked, and there was Kagura," Hikaru picked the story back up where Umi had left it off. "I figured she was in trouble or had gotten locked out or had come back from wherever she was and found the dorm shut down and had come over to Takeshi's to claim a spot on the floor." She sighed and looked down at the floor. "Looking back, I guess instinct told me something was wrong, but I thought it was just the shock of the fire and everything else. But I went outside to get her."

"I heard the door open and saw Hikaru leave," Fuu added with a shrug. "Something didn't seem right to me either. So I followed her to see what was up, and…well…" She looked back at Hikaru.

"She attacked me," Hikaru said bluntly. "I tried to tell her what was going on, and she said that someone—Nala or something like that, the name started with an N—had done her job. And then she pulled a sword from nowhere and came at me with a sword. She was an amazing fighter, too…" One of Hikaru's hands slid to her upper arm, feeling the hole in her sleeve and the wound underneath to mark where a throwing dagger had found its mark on a moving target.

Fuu took over the story-telling then. "Like I said, I was worried about Hikaru, so I grabbed a book—figured I could use it to hit something with if need be—and got down there just in time to see the fake Kagura take a swing at Hikaru. So…I threw the book at her—the Kagura look-alike, I mean. Not at Hikaru. And I nailed her right in the head." Fuu paused to beam proudly.

Ferio grinned. "I'm proud of you."

"And after that…well, we wound up here," Fuu finished, blushing slightly at Ferio's praise.

"Whoever that person was, she took Kagura—she told us so, point-blank, while she was taunting us about the fact that she was going to kill us," Hikaru pointed out. "But she didn't tell us why."

"She did say something interesting, though," Fuu tapped her chin thoughtfully as she tried to recall the exact exchange. "As I got down there, I heard Hikaru ask what they wanted with Kagura. And the fake said something about how our destiny had already been fulfilled, while Kagura's was just beginning."

"Geez, I missed all the excitement," Umi sighed. "I hope Takeshi's okay…"

There was a moment of silence as everyone pondered the development.

"Creator?" Hikaru asked, turning to the small being. "Why did you bring us here this time? And why were we separated? Why didn't Fyula catch us?" There was no accusation or resentment in her voice—only genuine curiosity over an unusual state of affairs.

The white creature remained silent.

"Was it to protect us from…whoever that was?" she prodded.

Finally, the Creator spoke. "I did not bring you here. Another power brought you to this world."

Everyone gaped openly.

Fuu recovered first. "But I thought the only other person with that power was the Pillar!"

"It is," Creator replied. "Hence, the mystery."

It took a minute for all the possible repercussions of that though to really sink in: whoever had brought them here had power akin to the Creator. If that person or being was an enemy…the results could be disastrous. The Magic Knights were powerful, and grew moreso with each new battle, but to fight someone on the level of the Creator…

That would be a suicidal battle.

"I will not leave you unguarded," Clef stepped forward and raised his staff. "ACCEPT!"

This was familiar by now. Pillars of green wind, blue water, and red flames surrounded them each in accord, warping and solidifying into armor across their chests and shoulders, as well as wrapping around their hands to form the ovum-gems.

Presea held up her arms, and the pharle's white translucent ribbons appeared at her hands, winding and twisting with her specialized magic before parting to reveal three swords—the Escudo-made swords of the Magic Knights, and the keys to awakening the mashin. They reached up to take their swords, which were then transformed into beams of light and sucked into the gems on their gloves.

Fuu immediately turned and summoned her magic to heal any remaining injuries from their less-than-graceful landings. Once this had all been accomplished, Caldina bounded forward and somehow managed to grab all three of the girls and pull them towards the door. "C'mon, girls! Let's go get some rooms ready for ya!"

_**-o-**_

The palace was as amazing as ever, Fuu reflected. And as she gazed out an upper window across the landscape, she had to note that Cephiro itself had never looked lovelier. Going to that village and actually seeing the people enjoying that made it even better—these were the people they had fought to protect. It was hard-earned peace, which made it seem all the sweeter.

And to be back…to see Ferio again was wonderful. He'd been called to Clef's study with a few others for some meeting—she assumed that they were discussing the impromptu return of the Magic Knights and trying to figure out what it meant. But it was all right. She would undoubtedly get to spend some time with him later.

Her parents had recently started making veiled comments as to her age—she was twenty-two, nearly ready to move out into the world and fully begin her life as an adult. Wasn't it time that she found a nice young man and got married and settled down to start a family of her own? In fact, there had even been a few very suspicious get-togethers with family friends with sons of the appropriate age…

She was still trying to figure out how to deal with that—she hadn't let them know that there was someone in her life. She had found the man she loved, and she knew without a doubt that he loved her in return. But how could she reasonably explain to them that he was from another world? Or that he was, in fact, the Crown Prince of that other word?

Part of her thought that she might actually be able to convince them. She wasn't prone to making up wild stories or fairy tales or anything like that. She did have an imagination, but not to that extent. Based on that alone, her parents might be able to believe her.

The rest of her was pretty sure that they would think her stark-raving mad, call her stories of Cephiro and magic the rants of a lunatic, and lock her away as being completely out of her mind.

She had given thought to the matter, and really…well, if they hadn't returned to Cephiro again, she might very well have considered seeking a suitable mate at home. Wasn't that really the logic that had driven Ferio to accept the proposal of a marriage-of-state to seal an alliance with their neighboring country of Aldarba? It was amazing that things had worked out as well as they had.

And remembering that whole awful situation made Fuu think of the Aldarban Princess who had been Ferio's intended. She made a mental note to ask Clef if they'd heard from Caliana recently. She would love to know that the Princess was doing well.

Smiling to herself, she pushed back from the window and continued walking down the arched corridor. In some ways, it was remarkable, how just being back in this place, within these walls, with these people could make her so happy. And she was sure that Umi and Hikaru felt the same way.

Thinking of them did make her think of Kagura, and her smile faded slightly. But she pushed that thought away. Just for right now, she wanted to just be happy.

Was it selfish? Yes.

Still, her mind again wandered back to Ferio. Their ride back to the palace atop the flying craft had been short—far too short for her tastes, really—but she had noticed something that was a bit different from previous visits. There was something new in the way he was looking at her and watching her that told her there was something specific on his mind...

And moreso, she found herself looking at the ring on the ring finger of her left hand, emblazoned with Cephirean runes that signified a promise tantamount to an engagement and intention, and recalling her parents' wish that she settle down…

_ACK!_ she thought, feeling her face flush crimson. _No! Bad Fuu! I was raised better than that!_

Still, some little part of her tingled with excitement at the thought of…it.

She was in a very good mood now.

Humming to herself, she actually rose up on her tiptoes and spun herself around with her arms out in a little dance move (after casually checking to make sure that no one was around to see her) before returning to a normal walk and walking around a corner to head back towards their rooms…

Something hit her in the forehead, right between the eyes.

It smarted enough to make her close her eyes in surprise and stumble backwards a step, but only for a moment before she had the strangest sensation of something like a thread being run between her eyes and pulling something out through her forehead.

There was a flash of pain, and Fuu knew nothing more of what had happened to her—she hadn't even seen who or what had befallen her. And she certainly didn't hear the cry of alarm some time later when Presea found her unconscious and unresponsive in a heap on the hallway floor.

_**-o-**_

"I can't believe it!"

The girl turned from the viewing pool to look at her newly-returned comrade with a raised eyebrow. "Malia, please calm down. You're being overdramatic over—"

"They vanished!" the one called Malia replied, stomping around the room. "Gone! Disappeared! There was just that light, and then POOF! Bye bye birdie." She growled and stopped to lean against the wall, arms folded across her chest in a full-blown pout. "I was just about to finish the one off."

"That's enough." The first girl sighed and turned away from the viewing pool to face her friend full-on. "Don't worry—you will have another chance at them. And I have it on good authority that there are far better ways to deal with them than simple illusions."

"Did…He tell you that?"

"Yes. He did. And He is looking forward to the games as much as we are," she paused and smirked with no little bloodlust. Then her expression shifted to more annoyance. "Where is Nairi, anyway?" At the blank look, she sighed and threaded one hand through white air in a gesture of annoyance. "I think we need to put her on a leash."

"Oh, surely that won't be necessary, Cristal."

Malia turned a golden glare on the newest arrival, who was standing in the doorway and smirking with all the smugness in the world. "How nice of you to put in an appearance."

Cristal turned back to the viewing pool. "Where have you been?"

"I was talking with Him," she replied, walking into the room. "Things are proceeding exactly as planned—He is quite pleased. The next phase will begin soon."

"Exactly as planned?" Malia sputtered. "In case you missed it, it didn't go as planned—they got away. I was this close to finishing off the Knight of Fire," she held up two fingers with a miniscule amount of space between them, "when that damn light snatched them away."

"The Summons of Cephiro," Cristal intoned.

"Yes," Nairi's smirk grew wider. "And that, my dear ladies, is exactly as He planned."

For a moment, it was silent.

Then Cristal spoke. "Why were we not told?"

"It was on a need-to-know basis. And He did not feel we needed to know at the time."

Now it was Malia who put the question out. "What else are we not being told?"

Nairi smiled. "Time, my friend. Give it time—the cards are stacked in our favor." She crossed the room to stand at Cristal's side; Malia followed to join them both at the viewing pool's edge. "Now…we just have to deal with those three lost lambs, and then the real fun begins…" she reached down and dragged a gloved finger across the water's surface, "…when the Promised awakens."

The water began to glow; the light reflected off the large brown jewel on the back of Nairi's glove. And a picture appeared in the water—two young women, one chained and bound, the other simply floating…but both in the darkness.

_**-o-**_

It was…dark. So very dark…and cold.

Kagura didn't know where she was or how she had gotten there. All she knew was that she felt strange. Everything was so fuzzy and disjointed. She was struggling to piece together fragments of memories to figure out what had happened to her.

She remembered stopping and talking to the girls who lived down the hall on her way back to her own room—but she couldn't remember their names, even though she knew they were good friends, and she couldn't remember what they had talked about.

She remembered opening the door and walking in and turning on the light—but she didn't remember anything beyond that, not even setting her bag down or taking off her jacket.

And she remembered first waking up in this place, finding herself in this cold, dark room with her wrists bound over her head by chains that kept her fast to the wall—but she knew nothing of how she had come here or who had brought her here or what, if anything, she knew of her purpose here.

How long had she been chained to this wall? It felt like eternities, but she had no real concept of time in this place. There were no windows to let her see the sun rise and set. It might have been a week; it might have been a day or two. She did not know, and she was too disoriented to think about it properly. She vaguely recalled someone holding something to her mouth—she had tasted water, felt the cool liquid on her dry tongue, and gulped it down greedily without a thought for the consequences.

And so she had continued to drift in a strange stage, somewhere between consciousness and slumber. There were visions, dreams, and images of people she knew and people she had known, all mingling together and doing the most peculiar things. How very strange…

She heard a door open nearby, and a spray of light fell across half-open eyes that had grown far too accustomed to the darkness. Kagura heard a slight cry tear from her throat as she squeezed her eyes shut to try and block it out.

Heavy footsteps crossed the room; there was the soft rustle of cloth, and then fingers closed around her chin to lift it. She could feel the scrutiny of someone's eyes on her face, and she wondered what they saw. She did not open her eyes to see who it was.

A male voice spoke, the first sign of life she'd seen since being thrown in here. But something about the slimy-smooth tone sent shivers down her spine, leaving her to wonder if she really was better off alone in the darkness.

"It's time to wake up, Lady Kagura."

She hesitated…and then let her eyes slip open ever so slightly. "Who…are you?"

The man—he was very blonde, she noticed, and wearing coal-black armor—smirked and bobbed his head in a bow. His eyes were glittering in a way that made her long for the lonely darkness again. And he spoke again to introduce himself.

"I am Aeric."

* * *

**PS.** _Okay…so here's what happened. I was writing one day on this very chapter—it was about two-thirds done—and I saved it and went and did something else. Later, I was reorganizing some folders on my hard-drive, including the folder for this story. Then when I went to open it, it was all gone—the first two chapters, the partially finished chapter, and the outline that I'd spent three freakin' months working on. My computer apparently ATE THEM. So…I pouted for a while. And then set about trying to piece my outline back together. Which I'm still trying to do. It's just not fitting back together the way it did before, and it's really frustrating!_

_As my humble apology, I offer you new chapter so we can all still be friends, yes:D Thanks to all of you who have stuck around this long and been so patient with me—I will do my damndest to update again within a month or two. Thanks for reading, all—much love!_

**EDIT:** _Okay, I wasn't going to do this, but a friend insisted I should…and I'm probably going to get more hate-mail over it, but I feel that everyone should have a sense of humor about everything. Sooo…you also get an omake that pokes fun at me and some of you as well._

* * *

**_OMAKE_**

Umi was having a conniption, pacing back and forth around her room. Hikaru sat on the bed with Mokona in her lap, watching the pacing; her head swiveled back and forth to follow the movements for a while before she got dizzy and decided not to watch anymore. Instead, she spoke up. "Umi, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Umi stopped and wheeled on her friend. "WHAT'S WRONG?? Kagura's missing, we have no idea why we're back in Cephiro—but it might involve facing an enemy that has the power of the Creator, my back still hurts from that damn landing, and now Fuu's in a coma because of God only knows what!" She let out a huff and threaded one hand through her hair in exasperation. "God, this is almost as bad as waiting for Candyland to stop sucking at life and remember to update this fic!"

Hikaru jumped to her feet (sending Mokona tumbling to the floor with a loud _puu_ of protest) and thrust one finger into the air in an almost victory-like pose. "Let's complain about it!"

* * *

_Yes, I know I suck at life and fail at existing and such. Omake inspired by a YouTube series called Yugioh: The Abridged Series. And remember that I'm kidding—I do feel bad about not updating in so long, but some of the emails I got regarding it were kinda…yeesh…I'm very glad you all care so much, but a few were a little bit scary o.o_

**NEXT TIME: **Who summoned them to Cephiro? Who is responsible for these new attacks? Who are these mysterious girls? Where's Kagura? Why won't Fuu wake up? Will I ever stop asking questions that I already know the answer to? Plus, some old faces make new appearances…in a chapter that I swear won't take me a year to get out next time, I promise :(


	4. High Spirits

**AN: **Oh my God…it's an update! WHEE!! There's a question in the Author's Notes at the end that I wanted to ask you guys, too—please respond to that. Otherwise, read on, my friends. Read on—I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth. I'ma just borrowing the characters for my own sadistic purposes. Because I'm fun like that!

* * *

**High Spirits**

It was a frantic group that huddled around the bed where Fuu lay unconscious.

"I can't believe it," Umi sighed from her perch on the edge of the bed. "We're barely back ten minutes, and already something's happened." She threaded her fingers through her hair. "What's next?"

Presea had been heading towards her workshop not long before, only to stumble across the prone form of Windam's Knight on the floor in the corridor. At first, she had wondered if Fuu had simply fallen or tripped. But when she found the girl to be unconscious and unresponsive, she had raised the alarm.

In short order, Fuu had been whisked away from the hall and tucked into bed to await further examination. Clef had immediately set about trying to find some sort of reason behind her state by magical means. If they could find out what had left her in this strange comatose state, it might make it easier to figure out how to wake her up.

Throughout the entire proceedings, she had not moved. Not so much as an eyelash twitch.

_**-o-**_

With a groan, Fuu sat up and put one hand to her forehead. "Ouch…what was that?" she groaned before looking around and finding herself on the floor in a palace corridor. She remembered walking around the corner and getting nailed between the eyes…

What in the world had hit her? Whatever it was, it had really knocked the wind out of her!

Shrugging it off as best she could, she climbed to her feet and haphazardly dusted herself off. It seemed that nobody had found her there. That was probably for the best—it wouldn't do to have everyone worrying over nothing. After all, she was absolutely fine, so far as she could tell.

A door opened somewhere behind her, followed by pounding footsteps. Fuu turned to see Caldina sprinting out of a nearby room, and she smiled. "Caldina, do you know…" The question trailed off as the Chizetan dancer raced right past her without so much as a nod to acknowledge her presence.

Fuu stared. That was NOT like Caldina at all. Caldina was more the type who would try to hug the life out of her in lieu of a greeting before hearing what she had to say. For the Chizetan dancer to outright ignore her…well, it seemed tantamount to a sign of the Apocalypse.

Bewildered, Fuu started walking to follow Caldina. She was almost to the room her friend had disappeared into when the door burst open and Caldina sprinted back out, this time bearing a couple of jars in her arms. Fuu jumped to the side and narrowly managed to avoid getting run over. Again, not so much as hello or a nod of acknowledgement.

She stood in the middle of the hallway and stared at Caldina's retreating back. There had to be an explanation. There just had to be…but she didn't have the faintest idea of what exactly that explanation might be. What in the world was going on here?

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Fuu whirled at the unexpected voice…and her jaw dropped.

_**-o-**_

"It's magic," Clef affirmed what all of them more or less already knew. But still, to have it made official sent a fresh chill through everyone. A magical attack within the protections of Cephiro's palace? That spoke of great power, and great power probably meant great danger and great trouble.

"I don't understand," Ferio said. "What exactly has happened to her?"

"If I had to hazard a guess…" Lantis replied quietly, "…it seems that she is not in there."

"Separated?" Clef suggested.

"That is my guess."

"…like, the lights are on but nobody's home?" Hikaru asked.

Everyone stared blankly.

Umi took charge. "If she's not 'in there,' as you put it, then where is she?"

Clef turned an eye on the unconscious form on the bed. "That…I don't know."

_**-o-**_

Fuu's expression was stunned for a moment before it brightened. "Sachi!"

Sure enough, she found herself staring at Sachi, Hikaru's ancestor and predecessor as the Knight of Rayearth. She looked exactly as Fuu remembered her—red shirt, dark pants, short black hair, and crimson eyes that were an exact match to Hikaru's.

"Fuu? I thought that was you!" Sachi gaped, her eyes wide and startled; she didn't look displeased necessarily, but rather…stunned. "What in the name of the Pillar are you doing here?"

"I have no idea!" Fuu replied in a rush. "We came here after Kagura vanished, and already things are going crazy! I don't know what we're doing back in Cephiro, but I imagine it means trouble."

"…that's not quite what I meant."

"Eh?" Fuu was obviously confused.

"I would like to know what you're doing in Cephiro, and I agree that it probably means there's danger on the horizon," the former Knight of Rayearth frowned and folded her arms over her chest. "But…did something happen to you?"

"…a fake Kagura showed up and tried to kill Hikaru," Fuu recalled slowly. "And then just a few minutes ago, something nailed me right between the eyes. I guess it knocked me out—"

Sachi cut her off abruptly. "Sweetie, this is the Spirit Plane." At Fuu's bewildered look, she explained further. "There are three major planes of existence—by that, I mean that these are the three planes where most humans wind up. There are other planes, though—Umi sealed Xander into one such plane. But anyway, three major planes. There's the Here, which is the world of the living. There's the Hereafter—that's where the dead go to reach their just rewards. Many people think of Heaven and Hell? That's where they are. But the last one is the Realm of Spirits. It exists _between_ the Here and the Hereafter." As comprehension dawned on her young friend's face, she clarified a bit further. "We're standing in realm where ghosts walk."

"But—but I can't be a ghost!" Fuu actually sputtered—a rare display for her. "I'm still alive!" Fuu-fledged panic had descended, and the normally-calm Knight was starting to freak out.

Sachi reached out suddenly and took hold of Fuu's shoulders. "…you're not dead," she said slowly. "You're still connected to your body. You've just been separated." Somehow, she didn't look too much happier for this revelation.

"That's why no one can see me…" Fuu realized, remembering the way Caldina had sprinted past her without a word or a glance. "I'm a ghost…" Her face fell at the idea.

"Come with me," Sachi ordered, dropping her hands from Fuu's shoulders and grabbing her arm to pull her along. "We're going to find the others. I don't like this at all."

Fuu allowed herself to be escorted along, not quite sure what was going on. Whatever it was, it had the former Fire Knight quite alarmed—a far cry from the calm, cheerful person she had met after their final showdown with Xander. But wait… "The others?" she asked, just as another form came into view, this one wearing green and black.

"Michiko!" Sachi called. "We've got trouble."

"What did Amaya do now?" Michiko replied as she came closer. Something about the response gave one the impression that it was an automatic reply. But when she saw Fuu, she reacted much as Sachi had: wide-eyed, open-mouthed shock. "Fuu? What in the world…?"

Sachi shook her head in response. "No idea. She's not dead—the thread is still there. But that leaves the question of who separated them. And why."

At last, Michiko seemed to notice that Fuu had absolutely no idea whatsoever as to what was going on. She smiled at her younger counterpart. "To separate a spirit or soul from a body without killing that body requires a great deal of magic and knowledge. It's the sort of spell that can only be acquired through years of studying, hard work, training, and meditation. To be honest…it's nearly impossible to do, though there are those few who know how to do it. The fact that you're here like this? Well…it's bad. You're smart and reasonable, so I won't mince words with you. It's _extremely_ bad. But the question really is why?" Michiko tapped her chin thoughtfully. "What purpose would anyone have for doing this to you?"

"Why would there even be such a spell in existence?" Fuu asked.

"The thing is that most people who know the spell—and there are precious few of them—tend to use it on themselves, rather than on other people. By going into the Spirit Realm in such a manner, they hope to find wisdom, enlightenment, that sort of thing. They may have the opportunity to cross paths with great masters who have already passed on…you never know who you'll meet over here," Michiko explained. "But it's also a good way to temporarily disable a person for whatever reason. Cast them out of their body, and then move the body. While the displaced, disoriented spirit searches for the body, you can accomplish many things. It's a prime example of Old Magic."

Before Fuu could ask what Old Magic was, Sachi stepped in. "Where's Amaya?"

"I think she was gravitating towards the library," Michiko replied dryly. "Something about being bored. Which means she could be up to just about anything." She rolled her eyes.

As they headed off to find her, Michiko went on with her explanations. "I assume that Sachi told you that this is the Ghost's Path, yes? Good. Right now, you're wandering between the living and the dead. And as I'm sure you've guessed by now, no one can see you. It's like a veil, sort of. A curtain. It separates the planes. On one side, there's the Hereafter. On the other, there's the Here. We're in a very unique position. Those who walk the Here and the Hereafter cannot touch the veil or move it. Only we can, as those who walk this plane. That's how ghosts appear, actually. You're invisible as long as you're behind the curtain. Move it aside, and there you are."

By now, they were nearing the library; one of the doors was already opened, which negated the need for Fuu to ask about such a thing. As the approached, Sachi spoke up. "I also think it fair to warn you that there are occasionally side effects for those who have wandered into the Spirit's Realm."

"…every time you mention this plane, you call it something different," Fuu observed dryly.

"It is known by many names."

"But what kind of side effects are there?"

"If you have any of them, you'll know," was the careful reply as they entered the library. Sure enough, Amaya was reclining in a large chair, an enormous book open in her hands.

Selece's first Knight looked up and beamed when she saw who was there. "Fuu!" she cheered, leaping from her chair (and dropping the book without a care for it) to bound over and wrap the girl up in a huge hug. "What're you doing here?"

"Have you picked up any signs of trouble lately?" Sachi asked firmly.

"Trouble? Like what?"

"Like…well, like Xander-sized trouble."

Amaya's expression immediately grew somber. "No, I haven't. Why?"

"Because," Michiko replied, "something's happening. Fuu's here, but alive."

_That_ seemed to strike a chord, and Amaya actually frowned. "Let's get you back to your body as of an hour ago. This is really, really bad." It was an echo of an earlier discussion, and it drove the point home that whatever was happening was not good.

And for the second time, Fuu found herself being swept away towards some unknown destination.

As they were walking, a thought occurred to Fuu. "Wait…if this is where people go when they die, did Umi come here after she…beat Xander?" It was not something they discussed often, how Umi had ended her own life to seal their foe away.

"No," Amaya shook her head. "Umi had regrets and fears, but nothing strong enough to keep her bound to walk as a ghost. She saw the Hereafter, and would have gone there if Sachi hadn't been waiting to catch her and bring her spirit back to her body, so we could revive her in accordance with the pact."

Fuu remembered Umi's words upon waking up from that ordeal…

_Anyone who had looked upon Umi in that moment would've seen the tears running freely down her face, and the strange, faraway look in her eyes, as though she was focusing on some distant point, a star that no one else could see._

"_Umi…what happened?" Fuu asked, pulling back from the hug and shaking her friend's shoulders desperately. "Are you okay? Can you even hear me?"_

_After a moment, Umi spoke softly, her voice clear and distant. "I saw it…beautiful…" Her head lulled against Hikaru's shoulder, and she sighed. "So beautiful…" No one dared ask what it was that she had seen that was so breathtaking._

She nodded. "So what kept you here?"

"We made a promise," Michiko told her as they approached the door to the bedroom Fuu had been assigned to use during her stay in the palace; this was the logical place for them to have taken her unconscious body. But Fuu was stunned as they pulled her straight _through_ the door.

Sure enough, there was a crowd of people clustered around the bed. They were all buzzing and frantic over the person in the bed…

Fuu herself.

Amaya grinned. "I think I'm going to make trouble!" she proclaimed proudly as she moved over to stand behind Umi. The smirk on her face was no less than evil.

"Watch," Sachi instructed with an indulgent smile. "This probably isn't the best time to pull this kind of a stunt, but she's going to push the veil aside and become visible to the human eye."

Fuu watched closely. And as she watched, something changed. She was hard-pressed to say exactly what, but something shifted, and she realized that Amaya was now visible to the eyes of the living. Someone just needed to turn around and see her…

Umi seemed to sense a presence behind her; she turned and let out a surprised shriek when she saw who was standing behind her. "Amaya!" The room exploded then as everyone gaped at the new arrival. Umi shook her head and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I thought I'd pop over and see what was going on," Amaya cheered with her usual smile. "Oh, and we brought Fuu back—she's perfectly fine, I promise." She glanced over at her companions.

"Just focus," Michiko whispered. "Imagine a curtain around you. Now imagine pushing it aside and stepping past it into the light." Fuu nodded and closed her eyes, trying to do as she was told. A veil…there was a veil keeping her hidden…shove it out of the way…

There was a loud gasp, and Fuu realized that she had done it. She opened her eyes and looked around at the wide-eyed stares and listened to the cries of horror. A glance down at herself proved that she was quite transparent, which might have been part of the reason behind the reaction. Ferio actually moved close enough to reach out and try to touch her…only to have his hand pass right through her shoulder. The look of horror on his face at that moment was indescribable, and he stumbled backwards a few steps.

"See?" Amaya said. "She's fine! She just got a little lost, that's all. But we brought her home."

Meanwhile, Fuu had sidestepped everyone else to stand beside the bed and look down at herself. "Why is it that whenever we come to Cephiro, I somehow wind up bedridden?" she mused. "So how do I…go home?" She gestured towards her body—goodness, that was uncanny! "Just…jump?"

Michiko opened her mouth to reply, but Amaya beat her to it and cut her off. "Pretty much!" She got a hard-edged glare in response, and chuckled nervously.

Feeling extremely awkward as everyone looked on, she leaned down and put her hands on her own shoulders. She was only mildly startled, though, when her hands literally sank right into her. Taking a deep breath, she just let herself fall forward…

What followed was the strangest sensation of twisting and turning and writhing, accompanied by a feeling of floating in water, with the pressure on top of her and the growing freedom of movement around her. She closed her eyes…

And when she opened them again, it was her body's eyes that opened. She moved her arms experimentally, and had no difficulties doing so. She sat up—no problem there either, save for the weariness that clung to every limb. Overall, she seemed to be just fine…until Hikaru pounced on her with a hug. Then there was a little bit of pain. But she smiled indulgently and returned the gesture.

"What did all of that mean, exactly?" Umi asked over the sighs of relief and exclamations of joy. "What would be the point of removing her life that? Why not just kill her?" The question was really the obvious one to ask, but it was still not a query that any of them really wanted to think about.

"For all we know," Presea chimed, "it could just be a vain display of power."

"If there was a reason," Michiko added with her usual practicality and the reasoning that was the trademark of Windam's Knights, "I'm sure it will be reveal to us in due time."

"Do you feel all right, Fuu?" Ferio asked softly. He had moved to sit at her beside, and was holding one of her hands in both of his own.

She took a quick stock of herself. "Something feels a little strange…I'm probably just tired from getting my soul sucked out through my forehead," she said with a smile. It was true, though—something did feel very odd, but she couldn't place what it was. She remembered Sachi's ambiguous warning about side-effects from spending time on the Ghost's Path, and wondered if that had something to do with it.

"_If you have any of them, you'll know." _That's what Sachi had said.

She would just have to wait and see.

It didn't take too long to relate the entirety of her experience in the Spirit Realm—not a lot had happened there, really. When she was finished, there was finally time for a happy reunion for the original Magic Knights (Amaya, Michiko, and Sachi) and their friends and successors.

Only Clef remained quiet and withdrawn at that point. All things considered, this wasn't really too strange, though—knowing him, he would be trying to find a source for the magic that had all but killed Fuu. And on a purely personal note…everything that had happened between Clef and Amaya all those years ago…he had plenty of reason to be so cold.

Amaya had noticed it as well, Umi noted. She kept stealing secretive glances at the Master Mage, then averting her eyes sadly and returning her attention to whatever topic was at hand. The whole situation was so sad, really...but at the same time, in a strange little way, it almost seemed like things had needed to be the way they were. Amaya had to die to seal Xander. She had to make the wish to save her family to create the lineage for the one who would take her place when Xander broke free—Umi.

But that didn't make things any happier.

"There's nothing," Clef said suddenly. At the questioning looks he received, he elaborated. "There's no presence in Cephiro that could be responsible for what happened to Fuu. I can't sense a magical presence powerful enough. So either whoever it was has found a way to hide itself—which is theoretically possible—or it's no longer in Cephiro."

Lafarga frowned. "Would there be time?"

"With the use of magic? I think it's quite possible," Lantis replied.

"So whatever's responsible for this…is most likely outside Cephiro's borders?" Presea mulled; the idea was alarming. "Could one of our allies have turned coat?"

"It is a possibility," Lantis affirmed. "A distant one, but a possibility nonetheless. But I think it more likely that this person or being is hiding somewhere without anyone's knowledge."

Fuu frowned and looked towards the window. "In some ways…that's almost more frightening."

_**-o-**_

This whole situation just kept getting weirder and weirder, Kagura thought. But at the moment, she wasn't sure she could complain too much. Things had improved in many ways since that cell door had opened and she had been allowed back out of the darkness.

That man—Aeric, he had called himself. She felt like she should know who he was somehow. And she also felt as though knowing him was not a good thing. He was dangerous…but she couldn't remember why she thought such things or how she might know them.

Actually, it seemed like a lot of her memories were feeling very jumbled and blurred…

So here she was, trying to sort out her thoughts as she soaked in a bath, of all things. She had been escorted here and told to wash up before being left to her own devices. After ascertaining that there wasn't a piranha or anything in the bathwater, she decided to take the plunge (as it were). However long she had spent in that prison cell had left her feeling extremely grungy.

Kagura _hated_ being dirty like that. She was fastidious to a fault.

It was remarkable, how the hot water relaxed her and erased all traces of weariness from sore muscles and aches from tense joints. She was actually starting to feel human again, she thought that to be no small feat, given the collective circumstances.

Even though she couldn't seem to focus her thoughts on any specific idea. She was trying to remember exactly what had happened to her, how she had come to this place, but the thoughts were flowing away from her like water running through her fingers.

Water.

Water made her think of Umi.

For one moment, her longtime friend's face was crystal clear in her head, like a photograph.

And then it was gone, torn away from her very mind.

What was going on?

Now alarmed, she rose from the water. There were towels sitting on a table beside the bath. Quickly, she wrapped herself in a towel and used another to twist her long brown hair up. She felt better, but she was still very apprehensive about this whole situation.

There was a click to her left, and she whirled around in a panic, both hands clutching protectively at the top of the towel she had wrapped around her torso. There was no one else in the room, but a pile of what seemed to be cloth now sat just inside the door. A closer examination proved the heap to be clothes. They seemed about the right size for her—nothing fancy or extravagant.

And black—all in black.

It was unnerving, though, that someone had brought these without her noticing. Was she being watched? The idea made her shudder….but she needed to get dressed. She certainly couldn't just walk around in a towel! She would just have to be creative.

It took a bit of careful maneuvering of towel and clothes, but finally she dropped the towel and straightened her clothing into a presentable state before taking full stock of her new ensemble. It was remarkably similar to a few things that lived in her own wardrobe at home. Black pants were a fashion staple, in her humblest of opinions, and the black crewneck sweater was nice and simple.

But…why black?

Another click made her jump again—this time, it announced the arrival of a tray of…well, she was fairly sure it was food, though it was like nothing she had ever seen. It certainly smelled wonderful, though…and her stomach chose that moment to speak up and remind her that she was very hungry…

Still she hesitated. She didn't know where she was or whose hands had prepared this. Her earlier stay in that godforsaken prison cell with her hands chained to the cold wall above her head had left her distrustful of this whole place.

There was a spasm of pain, straight across her forehead, like the worst imaginable migraine. She cried out against it and recoiled. But it vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

Kagura straightened back up and looked at the tray.

Of course there wasn't anything wrong with the food. She was going to be just fine. There was no real danger here. It was all in her head. If anything, she should be grateful to them for bringing here.

She sat before the tray, lifted the spoon sitting on it, and ate her fill.

Just as she was finishing, the door opened. This time, there was a person there, and not just a click to announce an invisible arrival. She looked up, and saw Aeric standing there. "Yes?"

"Please come with me," he bowed.

She rose and followed him down a long corridor to a large room with a hardwood floor. Mirrors made up one entire wall, while the other walls were lined with racks and shelves bearing various weapons. It seemed to be a practice salon or dojo of some kind.

Aeric strolled to the far end of the room, his black armor making surprisingly little noise as he walked. He stopped in front of a rack; there was a metallic clank before he turned around, hefting a large broadsword. "Ah, but milady is unarmed," he said smoothly, lowering his blade. "And a warrior should never be without armor."

Five people appeared seemingly from nowhere, and she nearly jumped in surprise. She noticed that they had dark gray skin and wore long hoods of an even deeper charcoal color…but they had no faces. Or rather, they had no facial features.

Her body moved without her permission; she lifted her arms straight out at her sides and remained motionless as the faceless beings moved around her. They were holding something…

Kagura's mind was screaming while her outward façade was calm. Why wasn't she fighting? She had to get away from these people—Aeric was somehow tied to what had happened in Cephiro, wasn't he? That had to be why she knew him. So maybe she was in Cephiro! If she could make a break for it somehow and get to the Palace—she would be safe there with Clef and Presea and—

_PAIN._

…she was fine. There was nothing to be afraid of.

And so she stood still as the five faceless ones flocked around her. Two reached around her to fasten armor in place—two shoulder-pieces and a breastplate. Another two fastened wrist-guards onto her forearms, and the final one slipped something onto her left hand. She moved her hand experimentally; it felt like some sort of fingerless glove.

As they moved away, another approached her, bearing something long and thin wrapped in a shiny black cloth. When she took it, however, she noted that it was not resting in the person's hands, but rather seemed to be floating just above his…her…its open palms. She unwrapped the cloth—which proved to be black silk—and let it fall to the floor at her feet with a mere whisper of sound. She was left holding a sword of her own: a long sword, rather similar to one of her fencing rapiers.

Giving Aeric a wary look, Kagura turned to examine her reflection in the mirror. Everything she had been adorned with was so…_bland_. Her clothing was plain black. But the armor, the sword-hilt…they were colorless. And…was that a stone on her new glove?

It was.

A colorless ovum-gem.

She turned to Aeric. "This is—"

But she was cut off when he charged.

_**-o-**_

Fuu's strange feeling had given way to something far more profound: a strange vision.

Namely, she was seeing something bizarre. Every time she looked at one of her friends, she saw something around them. It was sort of like a faint halo of colored light that outlined their entire bodies. Hikaru's was red, Umi's was blue, Clef's was white, Presea's was orange, Caldina's was pink…it was unbelievable, and no little frightening.

After a moment or two of sitting and watching everyone talk, seemingly ignorant of whatever it was that surrounded them, she spoke up. "Sachi? You mentioned side effects…?" She let the thought trail off, knowing that the question would be understood.

Sachi smiled knowingly. "What do you see?"

"There's a glow—like a halo. Everyone has one," she tried to explain, but found herself falling short of words to adequately describe the strange sight before her.

Still, she was relieved when Sachi nodded. "I thought you might. That glow you're seeing is the energy of a person's life-force, which is similar to spirit. If you see that glow around a person, it means they're living. You'll notice that Michiko and Amaya and I don't have it, yes?"

Fuu took a look…and realized that she was right. Umi and Amaya were standing side by side, but while Umi was surrounded by that faint blue glow, Amaya looked completely ordinary. "You're right…you three don't have it."

"That's because we're dead, sweetie."

"Is there any possible use for such a sight?" Fuu asked.

"You might very well find a use, little one," Michiko said with a smile, using the same nickname she had addressed Fuu by upon their first meeting. "You never know."

_**-o-**_

Kagura had been Umi's match on the fencing team when they were in school. She was definitely no slouch with a blade. And at Aeric's sudden attack, all of her years of practice and experience came rushing back to her as instinct kicked in. Without even having to think about it, she raised her new sword to counter his attack. She leapt back and returned with a charge of her own.

What followed was not a long duel. It was, however, extremely active. Both participants were going at it full force. For Kagura, it was an opportunity to finally release some of her tension and fear over her situation. And what better way to blow off steam than to beat the crap out of a willing victim?

Finally, she dropped down to the floor and swung her leg around. She missed her aim slightly, though; she only caught him in the back of one knee, falling short of her goal of hitting both and knocking him off his feet. As a result, he stumbled backwards—he wasn't out, but he was in a prone position.

And she pounced. She put her hands on the floor and pushed herself up to drive her foot right into his stomach. As he doubled over, she jumped up, raised an arm, and brought it down as hard as she could across his back and shoulders. It was enough to send him crashing face-down to the floor. It was a good few seconds before he rolled over and sat up to look at her.

Kagura stepped back and looked down at him with narrowed eyes; she somehow seemed barely out of breath for such a fight. "I win."

He seemed surprisingly pleased. "So you have." He rose and nonchalantly brushed himself off.

Something else was happening, though.

Her sword was glowing. As she watched, the hilt changed. It shifted and remolded itself before her very eyes, becoming more ornate and more decorative. When the glow faded, the hilt was definitely a lot fancier than what it had been before her duel with Aeric. She examined it carefully, and found that one detail really jumped out at her: there were two decorated discs on the hilt now. The first was right beneath the blade, and seemed to be carved with a design like a sun. The other was on the end of the handle, and bore the design of a crescent moon.

And it was still colorless.

She didn't have enough time to examine it further, though—in a flash of light, her sword was sucked into the gem on her hand. Kagura stared at it for a moment before turning her gaze back to Aeric. "These are the marks of a Magic Knight," she said, bewildered.

Aeric did not comment on that, but gestured towards another door opposite the one they had entered through. "You are in good form, milady. Please come this way." He led her though that door and down another corridor to yet another large room.

This one was a large cave-like room with some kind of stone pillar or well in the middle of it. And beside that was a young woman, wearing armor almost exactly like her own, save for the color. Where Kagura's was void of hue, this woman's was gray. Furthermore, this woman's hair was a snowy-white, and spilled down her back in a long ponytail.

The woman turned, and Kagura realized belatedly that, in spite of the stranger's hair-color, they had to be nearly the same age—this woman couldn't possibly be any older than her! While Kagura stared dumbfounded, the girl smiled and crossed the room. "Kagura, is it? I am Cristal. Welcome."

Kagura stayed perfectly still as Cristal walked to her and embraced her. "Welcome, sister."

* * *

**PS. **_Now we're more or less ready to start the REAL Party. And yes, I brought Amaya and Co. back. For those of you who are just tuning in, I introduced these three characters (Amaya, Michiko, and Sachi) in __Tears of the Sea__. They were the first Magic Knights. I tried to put in a few details to help any who hadn't read that story first, but if you're confused…well, you might need to go read TotS first :)_

_**And as promised, I had a question I wanted to ask all you lovely people**__. As you've probably noticed, Fuu and Ferio are sort of my OTP for this series and these fics. Well, I was wondering…would anyone wholeheartedly object to there being possibly a teeny tiny…gratuitous scene between them? Nothing too heavy—I'd probably spontaneously combust before I got two paragraphs into it. I am a dork. But yesh, please to be letting know what you think._

_Hope you'll tune in again next time. Thanks for reading, all—much love!_

**NEXT TIME:** A stranger in a storm. A message from an old friend. A legend to determine the fate of one.


	5. Storm Brewing

**AN: **Yeah. New chapter. I'll have more to say at the end. I don't own MKR.

**Storm Brewing**

The storm rolled in suddenly and with absolutely no warning at all. It was as though the clouds had somehow magically appeared in the sky over Cephiro's capitol, thick and charcoal gray; they blocked out the sun entirely. Within moments of their appearance, the clouds opened and unleashed a frightening gale, accompanied by heavy winds, thunder, and lightning.

Within the safety of the palace, the three girls from a world called Earth stood and watched as the rain splattered itself viciously against the window. They were safe from the elements, and they hoped no one was caught out in that…

That thought was enough to make Umi again start wondering about Kagura and where she was, but she tried not to let herself fall into that depressing trap again. Kagura was fine—she was somewhere, safe and not outside in this. Furthermore, this storm reminded her of that night…had it really been that long since that happened? She sighed and turned her focus to her teammates.

"What a storm…" Hikaru murmured, letting one hand rest against the windowsill. She glanced down at her ovum-gem and grinned dryly. "I'd be absolutely worthless out there in that."

"Water and fire really don't mix well, do they? This kind of storm might wash you out," Fuu chuckled. "If I were you, I wouldn't go toe-to-toe with Umi. She'd have a distinct advantage."

"Only that I'm better," Umi said haughtily, betraying none of her earlier melancholy.

"Yeah right!" Hikaru pouted, and they all laughed.

Fuu looked back towards the window. "Oh…I guess it was just a cloudburst. Looks like it's already slowly down…" They watched as the torrent slowed to a mere drizzle, running down the glass.

Umi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if I could use rain…you know, since my powers are tied to water? And I always seem to be able to do more when I'm near water, like it makes me stronger. I'm wondering if rain would do the trick."

"That would make sense," Fuu agreed with a nod. "Since our powers are elemental, it would fit that they can be drawn from our surroundings. So being near fire should make Hikaru stronger as well…and that could be a very frightening thought." The mental images were not very pretty—particularly Umi's picture of Hikaru trying to fight monsters amidst a raging forest fire. "…so where would that leave me, I wonder?"

Hikaru bubbled up then. "Fuu's power is in the sky!"

"…what?"

"Well, Umi's power comes from the sea, and my power comes from fire, which is usually on land," Hikaru tallied the points off on her fingers, "so the sky is what's left, right?"

Fuu looked like she was about to either argue or crack up when a bright flare of lightning completely illuminated the sky outside. They all automatically turned to look…and were shocked to see a tree in the forest surrounding the palace burst into flames as it was struck. It toppled over, spreading the blaze; the wet leaves somehow ignited, and the first leapt from tree to tree, threatening to engulf the entire forest and potentially anything in or around it.

Umi and Fuu were sprinting down the corridor in a heartbeat. "We have to put that fire out!" Umi already had her sword drawn. "Hikaru, wait here! We'll take care of it!"

Hikaru looked pained for a moment at the idea of sitting this out, but nodded. It had already been established that she was probably useless in the rain. And she knew that Umi and Fuu were perfectly capable of handling the problem. So she returned her gaze to the window to watch as her teammates handled the problem…and she wondered exactly how the wet leaves had ignited like they had.

Somehow, it seemed very strange to her.

**_-o-_**

Equipped with their mashin for the sake of expedience, the two Knights took to the sky to stop the situation from getting any worse. At this point, though, it seemed very manageable.

"Fuu!" Umi called, making a beeline for the woods. "I'll handle the fire! Can you do something about the clouds?"

"I think so!" the Knight of Windam turned to fly upwards—and was stunned when a streak of lightning whizzed by her, missing her and Windam by scant inches. She spun away, startled. Umi, be careful—watch out for the lightning!"

Umi made a sound of agreement as she readied her magic and summoned water, casting it across the burning trees. The fire went out, sending a cloud of smoke billowing into the air. Umi sat back, breathing a sight of relief…

…until a crackle of lighting zipped past her, grazing Selece's wing and going down to hit the forest again. The trees reignited, and the forest began to burn anew.

Clutching her shoulder (which felt like it was on fire from the nearness of the strike), Umi stared at the newly-reborn fire. _No way…_ she gaped._ I just put that out…it's all soaked! It shouldn't be on fire! And lightning isn't supposed to strike the same place twice, is it?_ But she shook it off and called water again to put out the blaze a second time.

But she didn't get to cast it this time.

She saw the light behind her at the very last second, just before she was struck by lightning full-out. It hit her lower back and coursed through both her and Selece from head to toe.

Umi thought she screamed in pain. But she wasn't sure. She half-felt Selece give a great shudder as they plummeted together to the ground, landing with a crash in an immobile heap.

From her vantage point in the air, Fuu saw the whole thing as she herself tried to keep dodging lightning strikes. She reached for her magic, pulled it, and waited until just the right moment to cast it—that moment being immediately after spinning out of the reach of another bolt. She cast Healing Winds towards Umi and hoped that it would be enough—she knew that strikes like that could have potentially devastating side-effects, some of them permanent.

She did not fear for Umi's life, though; her time in the spirit world had granted her a unique sixth sense, and even from as far away as she was, she could see two auras. Selece's was a rich, dark sapphire blue, and Umi's was a lighter color. Both seemed a bit faded, but were still there and still strong enough to allay any doubts about their survival.

With that knowledge, she allowed her attention to be drawn to something else that was bothering her a great deal. Fuu knew a fair amount about science, and one thing she knew was that lightning almost exclusively strikes the highest point on the victim. For a normal person, that was usually the head or even the shoulders. For Selece, it should have theoretically hit his head, shoulders, or even his wings. But to come in at an almost horizontal angle to hit at the base of his spine? To Fuu's well-trained mind, that sounded very improbable.

And then there was the frequency of the strikes. This many? In such close proximity? In such a rapid succession in such a short time? Mother Nature might be capable of a lot, but the laws of probability were called laws for a reason. They followed logic, and Fuu had a great trust for logic amidst all the magic that tended to inhabit her personal world.

That was in addition to the fact that no matter where she moved, the lightning seemed to center around her…like it was following her. All of these small facts added up in Fuu's mind, and ultimately led to a single, rather frightening conclusion.

If the lightning really was tracking her movements…then that had to mean that someone was controlling it. Which meant that all of this—the forest fire, the strike on Umi, and the attempts to hit her—were attacks, not accidents or chance.

But now realizing that someone had intentionally hurt Umi like that and could have potentially killed her…it made her blood boil like few other things could.

She looked up at the clouds and made a very quick decision. If she was right, maybe she could find the assailant. If not, maybe she could at least try to blow the clouds away and drive the storm off. As the next attack blew past her, she changed direction and shot straight up into the air, moving right through the clouds at a break-neck speed and up into the space above them.

She had half-anticipated having to search for the culprit or even not finding anyone at all—if it was magic, the user didn't necessarily have to be present to accomplish whatever it was that he or she wanted to accomplish. However, she was startled to realize that searching would be unnecessary. There was someone there, as though waiting for her.

Hovering there above the clouds was what seemed to be a giant yellow serpent. Its nose was long and square-ish, and its flanks were visibly moving and gyrating; it appeared to be very much alive.

Fuu's eyes widened. _Is that…a mashin?_

She was alarmed into that thought, for the beast gave her a feeling similar to the one she had experienced the first time she had gazed upon Selece and Rayearth in their true forms: awe coupled with a complex sort of fear.

Windam had been different—Windam was her mashin and her partner. The fear was lessened, and there was an additional feeling, one that she still had difficulty putting into words. It was…like a bond or something similar had just grown inside her, a feeling of accepting and being accepted and knowing that some small part of her would never know loneliness again.

But staring across the gap at this being, there was that same awe…and volumes of fear. Assuming that this was the originator of the lightning, even without that evidence, her instincts told her that this being was not a friend.

As she cautiously drew closer, however, she noticed more details, like being able to actually see individual scales running up and down the serpent's great length, and strange white fin-like appendages protruding from its sides. But the biggest shock when she got close enough to take a really good look at what she had initially thought was a horn on its head.

It was a person.

She didn't dare get much closer for fear of attack, but she could tell a few things. For one, the figure seemed to be female, with short hair. She was clad in some type of cloak or robe or cape that hung down around her and moved in the atmospheric wind. But most of the potentially important details were obscured both by distance and by a strange mist that seemed to float around the figure and the serpent.

As she stared at the form, Fuu had the sudden, chilling sensation that she was being…was sized up the right word? She was certain that this person was watching her, evaluating her…but for what purpose?

And even more disconcerting was that something about this figure was wrong. But try as she might, Fuu couldn't quite put her finger on what it was about the whole scene that seemed off. And she had the feeling that it was going to bother her until she figured out what it was.

They stayed there like that for a long moment, floating above the clouds and simply staring at each other. Lightning crackled in the air around them, almost as fierce as the tension.

"Fuu!"

When Hikaru's voice cut through the silence, it startled both of them out of their inaction. Fuu watched as the female figure raised a hand—and a crack of lightning split the sky, bright enough that she had to shield her eyes from it. When she lowered her hands and looked again, they were gone—both the large serpent and the form.

Fuu stared at the spot where they had been for a moment before turning and flying down below the clouds. Hikaru had summoned Rayearth, and was at Umi's side, helping Selece and his Knight to their collective feet. "Fuu, are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine! Is Umi all right?" Fuu called back. Almost as an afterthought, she turned and called the winds to blow the remaining clouds away, letting sunlight once again spill on the land. But she seriously doubted that what was left of the storm would cause any such damages.

"I'll be fine…" Umi said, her voice weak and trembling slightly. "Your magic worked wonders, but I still feel like I got the wind knocked out of me." She was leaning heavily on Hikaru. "But I think that might be more a mental thing than anything else. Oooh…that hurt…" She looked up at Fuu; her eyebrows drew together in a frown. "Fuu, what happened?"

"I saw…something. Or someone," Fuu said slowly. "There was something in the sky. I'd almost say it looked like a mashin, but I've never seen it before. It was a snake…or a serpent. A giant yellow serpent. And there was a girl…I think she's the one who called the lightning."

"You mean this was an attack?" Umi said incredulously.

"I think so," Fuu nodded grimly. "Let's get back to the palace—maybe Clef can tell us something about it. Who knows—maybe it's another Cephirean legend?" Still, as they flew back to the safety of the palace, she couldn't help but notice that Windam was strangely silent in the back of her mind…

**_-o-_**

Kagura was becoming very acclimated to this room of stone. And the girl she had met there—Cristal, she of the incredibly white hair—was being extremely friendly, despite the fact that they were little more than strangers.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to feel anxious or nervous about her situation. It seemed like every time a thought of uneasiness so much as flickered across her mind, it was gone in an instant. She was worried that she was losing her mind—it would certainly be anticlimactic, but logical at this point.

There was no overt sign that she was in danger here, though. If anything, it seemed like Cristal (and to a lesser degree, even Aeric) had gone out of their way to make certain that she knew she was not in immediate danger; even Aeric's attack on her with a sword now seemed little more than a sparring match, possibly to test her somehow? All things considered, she ultimately decided to stick it out and see where this whole situation would go.

Cristal was telling her all about the pool in the center of the room—the one that resembled a waist-high stone well. It was a way for them to view the outside world, she explained.

"Why don't you just go to the outside world and look?" Kagura asked in the midst of this. "It's a lot nicer to see it for yourself then to just look at a picture of it."

"Because the outside world does not understand us," Cristal replied. "Us, or our powers. So we stay here until the time is right. Then we will go forth and do what must be done."

"When will the time be right?" Kagura asked. "And what is it that must be done?" She didn't ask about their powers, though; her hand slid unconsciously to the ovum-gem on her own glove, and she thought she could at least guess the nature of their powers. And in that light, her claim that they would not be understood made a certain amount of sense—Cephiro already had the Magic Knights of legend. If three more girls appeared, claiming the titles…there was every possibility that they could be rejected or treated as imposters or worse.

Cristal's smile grew a bit wider. "Once you've awakened to your true self, sister. That is when the time will be right. And as to what must be done…that is something I cannot tell you just yet."

"My true—" Kagura started to ask, but she was interrupted as another person swept into the room.

"I've returned," the newcomer said softly; she wore yellow, and had short, dark hair. "Mission accomplished—I have seen the Knights of Windam and Selece, and I have seen a display of their power."

_Selece…_ Kagura's eyes widened. _Umi…_ She thought of her best friend for a moment, then let the thought go before it could be pulled away. But she was hard-pressed to name the alien emotion that tried to rise in the back of her throat at the mental image of Umi's face. So she ignored it and instead addressed the new face. "Who are you?"

Cristal spoke up to handle the introduction. "Kagura, this is Malia. She wields storms and lightning. Malia, this is Kagura. She is the one who was promised to us."

That apparently had some significance, but Malia betrayed no expression at the mention of whatever this "promise" was. Instead, she smiled cheerily and said, "I'm pleased to meet you!" She seemed very open—moreso than Cristal did, at least. Then she turned back to Cristal and frowned. "By the way…the Knight of Windam saw Galen and me. She flew through the clouds and we came face to face across a distance."

"It is of no consequence," Cristal said briskly; she tossed her hair back with one hand. "They cannot possibly know who you are or why you were there. So it's not important."

"What's not important?"

Yet another new voice joined the conversation, this one also female. This girl wore brown, and bore a striking resemblance to Umi, only with brown hair and eyes instead of blue. She was leaning against the room's entryway with her arms folded across her chest and a mildly menacing smirk on her face.

Cristal's expression darkened ever so slightly, and Kagura didn't miss it. But before she could say anything, Cristal spoke up. "If it's not important, then I won't bother repeating it," she said in a clipped voice. "What do you need?"

The brown one moved into the room. "I'm here on orders."

Malia chose that moment to pipe up. "Before you do that—Kagura, this is Nairi. She's one of us as well." She turned her attention back to the newcomer. "What are the orders?"

Nairi smiled. "Sorilbran asked me to tell our guest a story."

Kagura frowned. _Sorilbran…?_

**_-o-_**

"You saw what?"

"Are you sure?"

"Is that even possible?"

"It can't be possible!"

"Did you imagine it?"

Fuu shook her head against the barrage of questions and repeated her story for what felt like the thirtieth time. "I know what I saw. I didn't imagine it. It was a serpent—I swear it looked like a mashin! And there was a girl riding on it. And I'm very sure that she was causing the lightning. That's all I know—she just vanished."

Upon their return to the palace, Fuu had immediately told her story. Clef had listened intently before closeting himself with Mokona and Lantis. Fuu had been left to the rest of the palace inhabitants, all of whom were torn between being fascinated by her tale and being dubious of it. The conversation weaved back and forth between begging Fuu for further details…and debating about the validity of it.

When Clef returned with word, everyone fell silent to listen intently.

"There was something—this was not a normal storm," Clef said. "But the person who cast the spell has gone beyond Cephiro's borders. We lost the trail at the northern border. This is the path that leads towards Aldarba, but there is nothing to suggest that whoever it was that was here is now hiding there. Still, perhaps it would be wise to contact the Aldarban government and inquire about any strange activities."

"Excuse me."

The new voice at the door stopped the conversation flat as everyone turned to regard the visitor. He was a fairly nondescript man, holding a piece of parchment in one hand. "Pardon the interruption, but I have a message for Guru Clef," the man explained.

"Who is that?" Hikaru whispered.

Fuu smiled—she'd had the pleasure of meeting this person not long before, a chance encounter in a hallway. "He's a diplomatic envoy," she replied. "Ironically, he's the representative from Aldarba."

Hikaru's expression brightened. "So he knows Caliana?"

"Yes, he does," Fuu nodded. "I met him yesterday—I asked him. He says she is safe at home, doing very well, and will be a fine Queen someday. I should ask him if he would send her a message for me…just to say hi." She remembered well the Princess who had been intended to Ferio. She was silently and eternally grateful to Caliana for breaking the engagement, though she would never say it aloud in such a manner. And then the Princess had returned to help Cephiro turn the tide of a great battle.

During this explanation, Clef had moved to receive the message. The parchment was folded, and bore the seal of Aldarban royalty in blue wax. As the mage went about opening the letter, the envoy crossed the room and addressed Fuu. "I informed the Princess that I had encountered a friend of hers, and she sent this with the official correspondence." He handed her a second, smaller letter, also sealed.

Fuu accepted it with thanks and broke the seal to unfold the parchment. She looked down at the message written there…and turned back to the envoy with a sheepish look on her face. "I'm sorry, but I can't read the language. Could you please…"

"Of course," the man said, taking the letter and clearing his throat before he began to read it in a low voice. "Fuu, I am glad to hear that you and your friends have returned to Cephiro. I hope you have been well. There has been trouble in Aldarba as of late. Father does not know that I have sent you this message, but we are requesting assistance, and I would feel greatly at ease if the Magic Knights were the ones to come. I hope to hear a favorable response from you. Best wishes, Caliana."

"Thank you," Fuu took the letter from the envoy.

"A pleasure," he said. "And I assure you that the King will hear nothing of this from me."

Fuu laughed. "Again, thank you!"

Judging by the conversation floating around Clef, his message was essentially a more official version of the note in her hands. They inched closer to listen a bit more carefully—it seemed that they were discussing who they should send to Aldarba to handle the difficulties there.

After listening a moment, Fuu spoke up. "Let us go."

That sent everything to a screeching halt. "What?" Clef asked, startled.

"Let the three of us go to Aldarba," Fuu repeated, hoping and praying that Umi and Hikaru would agree with her. "We can handle it. And if it's related to what just happened outside, then I think it's almost our responsibility to go. We made a pledge to protect Cephiro. If this turns out to be a threat, then it's our duty as Magic Knights."

Silence fell, and for a moment she was afraid her suggestion would be rejected.

Then a voice spoke up behind her. "I agree with Fuu," Umi said softly. "If this is a threat…we should be there. We can help. And I won't lie—I also wouldn't mind seeing Caliana again. She turned out to be all right in the end."

"I'm in, too," Hikaru added.

Clef's brow furrowed in thought. "Your arguments are valid…"

Surprisingly, Ferio stepped in. "I think they should go. And I'll go with them. They can handle the magic, and I can handle the diplomatic matters and the government issues. That should take care of most of the problems, shouldn't it?"

"Ferio's right," Hikaru nodded emphatically. "We don't know anything about the politics of these worlds. So if he goes to handle that stuff, then we're free to track down whatever it is that's causing the trouble there and take care of it, right?"

"I'll go too!" Ascot spoke up, then blushed faintly. "If it's a monster or something, I can help."

Lantis cleared his throat. "I will go as well."

The three girls looked grateful.

After a moment, Clef nodded. "All right. If you're certain that this is what you want to do, I will send word to Aldarba, and we will make the preparations for you to leave as soon as possible."

The Magic Knights cheered out loud. "We're going to Aldarba!" Umi said happily.

**_-o-_**

"Did you hear?"

Michiko looked up from the book she was reading—one nice thing about hanging around the palace was that she had access to the massive library. And now that their presence was known, Clef had no objections to her borrowing a tome here and there. "Did I hear what?"

"…that's a no," Amaya sighed. "Hey, Sachi! You should hear this too!" When the red-clad specter floated into sight, Amaya continued, "It was just decided that the girls are going to Aldarba."

"Why?" Sachi asked. "And how did you find out?"

"I was eavesdropping," Amaya said shamelessly. "But it seems there have been some disturbances that they believe are caused by magic. Very powerful magic at that. And Aldarba doesn't have the kind of magical know-how that Cephiro does. So they've asked for assistance in accordance with the mutual aid clause detailed in the alliance treaty. And our cute little descendants are answering the call. With their boys in tow, of course. That prince boy isn't letting Fuu out of his sight as long as he can help it."

"Do you think it's all related?" Michiko asked quietly. "These disturbances, the attack on Fuu, the girls coming here…the fact that the three of us are still here, period? We promised that we would remain until Cephiro was free of danger. If we're still here…"

"It stands to reason that all of this is connected somehow," Sachi agreed. "So many things happening all at once…it defies the laws of probability for everything to happen at once like that. And you forgot to mention that Kagura is missing. Her kidnapping is just another piece of a puzzle that's still too fragmented to see the picture. It's all tied together, but I just don't know how."

"We might be able to find out," Amaya interjected. "That's why I brought this up. The girls are going to Aldarba…and I'm wondering if we should go too. Or would we be better serving everyone and Cephiro if we stay here?"

The three ghosts looked at each other, each trying to reason through this. What was going on here? And what could they really, truly do to help?

**_-o-_**

"Once upon a time," Nairi began, "there was very little. There was the land and the sky and the water, and two beings. One was known as Light, and the other was Dark. They did not get along, and their fear and hatred towards each other caused many clashes that split the land, shook the sky, and disturbed the water. It was a time of struggle for two beings who themselves had no beginning, but simply always were."

"One day, it came to pass that the rivalry between Light and Dark because too great, and it exploded into a great battle of cataclysmic proportions. They fought with all the force of their power, both magic and brute strength."

"It was a war between two, the likes of which was never seen before and has never been seen since, and it threatened to destroy what little there was. But then something incredible happened. The magic unleashed took form and gained sentience, and because another great being. This new being was not of the Light, nor was it of the Dark, but carried aspects and powers of both. And it ended the battle, calming the beasts and sending them back to their resting places. Having done this, the being vanished. No one knows what became of it."

"But the legends do speak of Light and Dark. Those two great beasts are said to still be out there, waiting for another chance to finish the fight they began all those years ago and finally chose a victor."

Kagura listened to the whole tale from start to finish with wide eyes. "Wow…what a story." It sounds like a fairy tale." She smiled and sat back, obviously amused.

"But there are those who say the legend is far more than a mere fable, Kagura," Nairi said knowingly. "Some say Light and Dark are real, and waiting to be discovered by the one who is destined to gain their power." Her smile shifted into more of a smirk, and it sent a shiver down Kagura's spine. "And Kagura? We have reason to believe that you could be that person."

"What? Me?" Kagura shook her head frantically. "No way!"

Nairi leaned forward and nodded. "Yes. Believe me when I tell you this—you are our sister. You are one of us. And like us, you are of the dark."

* * *

**PS.** _Whew…another chapter done! Finally! I've been working like crazy on my outline for a couple of weeks, and it's finally starting to click back together. I'm relatively pleased with it. There will be a LOT of stuff in this fic. I'm also really looking forward to bringing Caliana back—I really did adore how her character developed in Tears of the Sea, and I'm excited to continue with that._

_Thanks for reading, all! Much love!_

**NEXT TIME:** The Magic Knights are off to Aldarba! There's a reunion with Caliana and a whole new place to explore! And Kagura finally gets to meet the mysterious person who seems to be pulling the strings…hope you'll tune in!


	6. Reunion in Aldarba

**AN:**Yay, new chapter! There's some stuff in the Author's Notes at the end that might make some of you happy. Anyway, on we go! I don't own MKR—I'm just borrowing it from the CLAMP ladies to play with it.

* * *

**Reunion in Aldarba**

"Caliana!"

The sound of her name easily caught her attention, and Caliana, the Princess of Aldarba, looked up from her book and glanced around. She was perched on a branch of the big tree in the Palace gardens; it was her favorite thinking spot, somewhere she could sneak off to think. A glance down revealed that Kannon was standing beside the tree, waving up at her.

"I assume you have a good reason for interrupting me," she called back, grinning. "I am getting to the best part of my story, so if this is not important, I shall have to beat you."

The young man, the captain of her personal guard, grinned back and held up a hand, waving a piece of paper for her to see. "We received word from Cephiro. There was a letter for you amidst the official correspondence, and—"

"Let me see!" Caliana's grin widened, and she closed the volume in her hands, tucking it into the pocket of her tunic before she began her descent from the tree. She hopped from branch to branch, as nimble as a squirrel, until she landed neatly on her feet on the ground beside him.

Kannon seemed amused at it all as he handed her the letter. "If you were not to be our future Queen, I daresay you would be an excellent spy."

She threw him a look that would have told any bystander that this was not a new jest between them. As soon as the letter was in her hands, she broke the seal and opened it, reading it with great eagerness. Kannon waited patiently.

"They are coming," she said after a moment. "They are coming here—to us, to Aldarba!" Her face lit up even more. "Oh, this is wonderful! Thank you, Kannon!" She clutched the letter to her chest as she thanked him and took off with all the speed of a loosed arrow.

She was quietly grateful that she had changed after court that morning into a belted tunic, pants, and riding boots before going to her favored place in the tree. It made running much easier. She tore through the Palace, sidestepping a few servants in the corridors; none of them raised an eyebrow, though. There had been a change in their dear Princess since her visit to Cephiro, and it was not an unpleasant one. She certainly had a great deal more energy.

Caliana did not stop running until she reached the doors that led to her father's official chambers. If there had been official word from Cephiro, he would be closeted in there with his advisors. Without bothering to knock, she threw the doors open. "Father!"

Just as she had thought, King Haider was seated at his desk with three advisors gathered around him. There was a sheaf of paper spread across the desk; the crest of Cephiro was visible. He looked first startled at the intrusion, then vaguely annoyed. "Caliana, what have I told you about—"

"I will handle it!" Caliana said in a rush. "The preparations for the envoy of Cephiro. I will make all the plans and preparations for their arrival. Just leave it all in my hands!"

"Cali—"

"Thank you, Father!" she said quickly, turning and rushing from the chambers.

She left behind three very confused advisors and one very bewildered King, who turned to the aforementioned advisors and said, "I take it she has heard the news."

_**-o-**_

Clef's flying ship was wonderful; they were nearing the borders of Aldarba in what felt like far less time than the journey should have taken. They could have gone by magical means, but ultimately the Magic Knights argued that they wanted to see the world they had already given so much to protect.

The males—Lantis, Ferio, and Ascot—sat quietly and watched the girls with some amusement as they gazed out the window at the expanse of landscape spread beneath them. Mokona puu-ed quietly from its perch on Lantis' shoulder. It was sweet to watch the three girls gasp and sigh over the green fields and emerald forests stretching out as far as the eye could see beneath them.

Aldarba was a beautiful place.

After a while, they settled back into their seats, and Ferio reminded them of what to expect immediately upon their arrival. "When we get there, I'm assuming there will be a welcoming party waiting for us. That'll probably be some of the Guard and some sort of noble. They'll greet us and escort us…probably to the throne room for our audience with the King and Queen. We'll be presented and officially welcomed to Aldarba."

"Do the King and Queen have names?" Fuu asked.

"King Haider and Queen Morowa of Aldarba," Lantis spoke up.

"Man…Caliana's parents. That'll be cool," Hikaru said cheerily.

"I'm sure I'll be seeing a great deal of them," Ferio said with a sigh. "Chances are that I'll be spending a fair amount of time handling all the necessary political matters. After all, I am acting as the diplomatic representative in this envoy."

"You worry about the politics, we'll worry about the magic," Umi said firmly, crossing her arms.

There would have been more, but Hikaru spoke up again, pointing out the window. "Look!"

All heads turned obediently to see, and smiles broke on most of their faces; Lantis was his normal reserved self. But their exuberance was well-founded: there was a city on the horizon, with a tall turreted structure visibly rising from the center of it. It could be safely assumed that the castle was the Palace, thus making this the Capitol. They'd arrived at last.

As they flew over the city, they got a much better look at it. The place was huge, and when the craft swept lower as it began its descent to land beyond the walls of the Palace, they could see that there were a lot of people out milling on the streets. In some ways, it reminded the three girls from Earth of the city they hailed from, Tokyo.

There wasn't much time to gawk, though—the flying ship picked up speed, and they flew over the walls that ran around the perimeter of the Palace grounds before it stopped moving forward in favor of losing altitude. In a moment, they were coming to rest on the grass outside the massive castle.

As they gathered their things, Fuu glanced out the window and noticed a few people standing outside their ship. It seemed things were just as Ferio said, and there was a welcome wagon waiting for them. So their next stop would probably be presentation to the King and Queen. As the door to the craft opened, she remembered that Ferio had also said that there would probably be someone of the nobility to welcome them as honored guests. She wondered who it would be—

There were perhaps half a dozen armed guards standing in a vague semi-circle around a young woman in rich garb. When she saw the head of their welcoming committee, Fuu's eyes widened in surprise and no little delight. "Caliana!"

The Princess of Aldarba was wearing clothing not unlike her attire when they had first met her upon her initial arrival in Cephiro. Her robes were of blue and gold, and very elaborate as befitting her status. Her dark hair was twisted up into an ornate bun on top of her head; it was not adorned by any fine jewels, but rather a single pink flower. She looked much as they remembered her, and every inch a Princess. She was smiling, with her hands tucked into the sleeves of her robe.

As they all climbed from the flying craft that had brought them and assembled into a haphazard line in front of her, she took a step towards them. "Honored guests and envoys of Cephiro, I bid you welcome to our kingdom," she said; it was probably a prepared speech, but she seemed to take great delight in being the one to say it. "I am Caliana, the Princess of Aldarba." As she said that last, she bowed.

It seemed this was a custom in both their worlds, and the six envoys bowed in turn. Mokona chose that moment to bounce from Lantis' shoulder and bound right up to Caliana, landing squarely in her arms.

The soldiers around her gasped, but Caliana smiled fondly at the little white creature currently snuggling up to her. "It has been a while, my friends," she said, shifting Mokona to rest in the crook of one arm while gesturing with the other. "Please follow me. My parents are waiting, and they are very eager to meet all of you."

The Guard fell into step behind them as they passed through the great arched gateway and entered the Palace. It made Umi feel a bit nervous, really, to have six armed men following them like that. But the chances of this being a trap were almost nonexistent, and even if it was, all of them were fighters.

"I trust you had a safe journey?" Caliana asked over her shoulder.

"We did," Ferio replied.

Fuu spoke up then as well. "Aldarba is a beautiful country."

Caliana smiled. "Thank you. I also think that, but I might be a bit partial to our land for obvious reasons." This earned a laugh from the others as they walked down a corridor decorated with vast tapestries and mirrors. It was all quite lovely.

In a moment they passed through another large doorway, this one with a guard posted on either side, and entered a massive domed room, filled with people in fancy clothes. It was obviously the throne room—a man and a woman were seated at the far end in large chairs.

Caliana did not even pause; she began walking down towards the thrones. It seemed a clear sign for the others to follow, and so they walked slowly after her. The guards that had accompanied them this far stopped by the door, leaving them to make the trek alone. There was a rush of whispers from the assembly as they moved past; it stood to reason that this was the court.

When they drew near, Caliana stopped and they stopped with her. The King and Queen rose. Caliana was still a moment before she walked forward another two steps and turned to face them. Mokona was still nestled comfortably in her arms. "I present the ambassadors and envoys of Cephiro," she said, raising her voice to carry through the whole of the great hall. "Prince Ferio, Cail Lantis, Summoner Ascot, and the Magic Knights, the ladies Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu."

A murmur ran through the crowd at the mention of the three girls, and they all realized that their legend ran a great deal further than they'd thought. Caliana had undoubtedly brought back stories of their exploits on her return to her own country. Even here, far from Cephiro, they were revered.

King Haider stepped towards them. "Welcome, friends, to our fair kingdom." He bowed, as Caliana had, and they bowed in return. "We thank you for coming to our aide, and hope that with this visit we will be able to lay to rest the troubles plaguing our land." He shot a glance at the Magic Knights then.

Ferio stepped forward. "We are always happy to come to the assistance of our allies, and we hope that we can find and remove the cause of the disturbances."

It was strange to see him in this element, so refined and well-spoken, and realize that it was the same roughshod young man they had first encountered in the Forest of Silence, the one who Fuu had more or less tricked into escorting them safely to the Forest's edge.

Fuu herself couldn't take her eyes off him.

"I am sure you are tired from your journey," Queen Morowa spoke now; she seemed to stand as an equal to her husband. "Rest, and we will begin discussions shortly."

"Thank you," Ferio smiled.

"If you will follow me, I will show you to your rooms," Caliana stepped forward again, and they bowed one final time to the rulers before they followed her back through the large doorway and into the corridor. She led them through the hallways before finally pushing open a set of heavy wooden doors and passing into a new wing. "We have housed all of you in the same wing," she explained. "I do hope you will find it to your liking."

"We're just happy to be here," Fuu smiled.

Umi piped up. "I gotta say that I never, ever dreamed I would be greeted by royalty. Wow…"

"There's a lot of ceremony to this," Fuu added.

"Well, remember when Caliana arrived in Cephiro?" Ascot pointed out; he had been fairly quiet through much of the pomp and circumstance. Now that they were away from the crowds and the guards, he was relaxing a bit. "There was a lot of fuss then as well."

Caliana paused and gestured towards the doors on either side of the corridor. "These six rooms have been set aside for your use during your stay. You may choose whichever you like." She produced a ring of keys. "To ensure your peace of mind, you may lock your chambers."

Umi opened one of the doors—and found herself staring at a small suite with a sitting room, bathing room, and bedroom, all decorated lavishly in blue and white. It reminded her for a moment of her short imprisonment in Xander's domain, but she shook that off. Unlike her time under his roof, she did not feel that she would be in danger here.

Rooms were quickly chosen: the three girls took the rooms on the right side, and the men went to the left. Mokona opted to take up residence with Hikaru. But all three of the girls went into Fuu's room and sat down. "Whew," Hikaru said, stretching. "What a day, huh?"

Before any of them could respond, there was a knock on the partially-open door. Caliana's head popped in. "I beg your pardon for the intrusion," she said politely. "May I come in?"

"By all means," Fuu grinned, getting to her feet.

Caliana stepped in and carefully closed the door behind her. She turned back to the girls…and finally, a massive smile crossed her face as she all but dove across the room, colliding with Fuu in a tight hug. Fuu had been waiting for this and was ready to return the embrace. "I thought so!" she laughed.

The mask had fallen away. It had been so strange and so wonderful to see Caliana in her true element as she met them, greeted them, and presented them to her parents and to the assembly of the court. This was what she had been raised to do—to be a ruler and a leader of her people. In their presence, in relation to a matter of state, she was the very picture of propriety, tradition, and nobility.

But now that they were alone, away from the eyes of the people…she could truly greet them as the friends they had become. "It is so wonderful to see you again!" she said with a smile, reaching down to extend an embrace to Hikaru and Umi as well.

They all sat, and Umi grinned. "Caliana, that was amazing! The way you acted through all of that…wow."

The Princess blushed slightly. "I actually was not to be the one who met you. But I insisted, and Father relented." She beamed. "I wanted to be the first to see you and welcome you here. And I am glad you have come, not just because you are my friends." Her expression sobered. "There have been troubles as of late, things that defy explanations…I do hope you'll be able to help us."

"We'll do whatever we can," Hikaru said, then brightened. "So what've you been up to all this time?"

The conversation drifted pleasantly, recounting tales of things that had transpired in the time since the battle against Xander's forces. It was nice to be able to simply sit and enjoy each other's company for a time, knowing that things could turn all too soon.

Caliana was very concerned when they told her of Kagura's abduction and the subsequent attack on their lives before their abrupt journey to Cephiro. She wondered if it could perhaps be related to the strange things occurring within Aldarba. The idea was logical, but chilling.

It did not escape the Princess's eye, however, that Umi became a bit more withdrawn after the topic of her missing friend came up. The Knight of Selece was decidedly more morose for a while.

After a great deal of time, a knock on the door interrupted the conversation, and Fuu piped up. "Come in." It was only then that she noticed how far the sun had moved across the sky. It was into the late afternoon now.

They expected it to be one of their comrades from Cephiro, but the young man who entered wore the uniform of a Palace Guard. The only difference between him and the men who had met them upon their arrival (aside from age, as this man didn't seem to be much older than Caliana herself) was a red cloth band around the sleeve of his dark blue uniform.

All three of the Magic Knights were about to question, though the young man did seem familiar, when Caliana spoke. "Ah, Kannon!" she said with a smile. "I was wondering where you had gone." She turned back to them. "I believe you met Kannon after the battle in Cephiro?"

That was it. That was why he seemed familiar.

He bowed. "Ladies."

"That is why he wears that band," Caliana said, pointing to the bright red strip on his uniform sleeve. "It means that he is a Captain in the Guard, and as such carries great authority. He is, in fact, the Captain of my personal Guard." She turned to him. "What is it?"

"Your parents have requested the presence of the diplomat in the chambers," he said.

"And mine as well?"

"Yes."

"That would be Ferio's job," Hikaru said.

Caliana rose. "While we are otherwise engaged," she said, moving towards the door, "feel free to explore the Palace. Oh, and Fuu? Would you mind coming with me?" When Fuu nodded, a bit surprised, the Princess addressed the young man. "Kannon, I leave Hikaru and Umi in your most capable hands. Perhaps a tour?"

He bowed. "As you wish."

_**-o-**_

There was a loud clang as the sword flew from Nairi's hand, followed by the whooshing sound of displaced air and the noisy clattering of the metal blade hitting and skittering across the hard floor.

Her opponent, Kagura, lowered once again into a ready stance with her own weapon outstretched, as though inviting Nairi to try anything. Her eyes were sparkling, but they had acquired a certain hard, competitive edge. She was completely serious.

At a loss, Nairi stepped back. "Incredible," she murmured.

Kagura recognized the statement as a concession of defeat and straightened, lowering her sword to her side. "Thank you. I told you—I've been doing this for a really long time."

"Nairi, weren't you the one saying that Malia and I had no skills because we were beaten?" Cristal commented dryly; she was leaning against the wall, eagerly observing the mock-duel. "Something about how you were surprised that either of us knew which end of the sword to hold?"

"Oh, be quiet," Nairi snapped.

Malia giggled and climbed to her feet from where she had been sitting on the floor to watch. "It's not personal. Nairi is easily the best fighter of the three of us. She's not used to losing."

In a flare of brown light, Nairi's sword vanished into her ovum-gem. "I said be quiet."

Cristal shook her head, then shoved her white hair back. "As you can see, we're all best friends here."

"I noticed…" Kagura said thoughtfully. There was a moment's silence, and then she decided to ask a question that had been bothering her since she had met these girls. "How did you three come here, anyway? How did you become Magic Knights?" She knew the story of how Umi, Hikaru, and Fuu had come by their destiny. It didn't add up to her that these three girls would come into the same title when there wasn't a Pillar to summon them and the destiny was no longer there to be fulfilled.

There was another beat of silence in which the three girls looked at each other. It was just long enough that Kagura was left wondering if she had done something horrendously wrong. But that notion was brushed aside when Malia spoke. "Our Lord brought us here. He saved us."

This wasn't the first time they had mentioned their Lord. It seemed this mysterious person was the one who gave the orders around here. Aeric had mentioned him as well. "What did he save you from?"

"…I don't remember the details," Malia said softly. "It's all very faint. But I know that I was near death. I lost consciousness. And when I awoke, I was here, safe and unharmed. The general, Aeric, was here. He told me that I had been chosen."

"So your…lord is the one who made you Magic Knights?" Kagura said slowly, receiving a nod in reply. Something about this whole thing didn't sit right with her. She turned to ask the others of their stories, and found that they were nodding in agreement. She took that to mean that their experiences were very similar, not different enough to warrant any retellings.

"So…you can't remember anything before that?" Kagura asked.

"No, not really," Malia shook her head. For a moment, she looked rather wistful.

"It doesn't matter," Nairi said firmly. "Whatever we might have had before is not important. What we have now is far better. We are destined for great things, and now that you are here, those things will finally be within are grasp. Destiny is about to become reality."

"Nairi…" Cristal said in a warning tone. Her silver-gray eyes flashed angrily.

Kagura blinked, taken aback. "What things? What does all this have to do with me?"

Before any response could be offered, a shadow appeared in the doorway. "Your presence is requested," Aeric intoned. "Our Lord wishes to see you."

For a moment, Kagura stood right where she was. There had been much talk of this person, and it seemed now she was finally to meet him. Taking a deep breath, she followed him.

_**-o-**_

As the doors parted, Hikaru gasped in delight. "How pretty!"

Caliana and Ferio had gone off to commence the necessary diplomatic activities; in a surprise move, the Princess had asked Fuu to accompany them to represent the Magic Knights—provided there were no complaints from the others? As there were none, the three headed for the Council Chambers. Lantis was inspecting the troops, and poor Ascot had been accosted by the stable-keepers, who were desperately curious about his unusual friends.

Kannon had approached then and offered to show the two remaining Knights the palace gardens while they waited. And so it was that they walked outside and found themselves in Paradise—or something close to it. There were flowers everywhere of every color imaginable, blossoms unlike anything they had ever seen on Earth.

"If the ladies will follow me," Kannon said with a small bow, "I will show you the gardens."

Umi chuckled. "Wow. You're quite the gentleman, aren't you?"

He had the grace to blush slightly. "I try."

"Well, you can relax," Umi said with a grin. "It's okay. We won't tell."

He didn't reply verbally, but some of the tension left his shoulders, and his posture visibly relaxed. They continued walking, him pointing out various flowers and small statues scattered throughout the gardens. It was exquisite.

Hikaru piped up then. "You and Caliana seem very close. How did you two meet?"

Kannon looked a bit surprised at the question, but recovered quickly. "We were actually very young when we met. My mother used to be the head housekeeper in the Palace. She has grown old and retired, but as I understand it, she ran a very tight ship. As a result, I grew up in the Palace because my mother kept her residence there. One day I was walking through these very gardens, and I met a girl my own age. I had not seen her before."

"What happened?" Umi asked, prodding him along when he paused.

"She told me to be quiet and pulled me along," he recounted. "I later learned that the girl was, in fact, Princess Caliana, and she was hiding from her tutors." Both Magic Knights laughed at that. "After that, it seemed our paths crossed frequently. It did not make sense to me that the Princess would seek out my company, but in hindsight there weren't too many other children our age running around the place. After a time, we had become friends."

"And now you're the captain of her personal guard," Umi observed; one blue eyebrow arched knowingly. "That worked out very nicely, didn't it?"

"My mother secured training for me by some of the great sword masters of the kingdom," he explained. "I learned the way of the sword, assuming that when I came of age I would go into the army. In fact, I trained alongside the Princess on more than one occasion."

"Wait—with Caliana?" Hikaru interjected.

He smiled. "Oh, you did not know? Caliana is quite handy with a blade—and various other weapons, as well as hand-to-hand. An heir who can defend herself is less likely to fall prey to an assassin, wouldn't you agree? Anyone trying to take on the Princess would be in for a very rude surprise. I speak from experience—she used to practice on me." He absently rubbed at one of his shoulders, as though remembering the ache of a past sparring match.

"So why have a personal guard?" Hikaru persisted.

"You have seen her in formal dress, yes?" he asked. "The fact is that she cannot fight effectively while dressed for official functions. And while she may be skilled enough to bring down two or three attackers, she cannot defend against a full ambush."

They had reached a small clearing in the gardens, marked by an enormous fountain. Umi sat down on the edge of the fountain's basin and leaned back a little to look up at the sky. "Sorry to ask so many questions, but we didn't get to talk much when we met before."

He waved a hand and smiled. "I know much of you from the stories and legends of your exploits—yes, they have reached us even here. But you know nothing of me. Question, you must."

Hikaru sat beside Umi and dragged her fingers through the water. "I think we'll be friends."

"I'd be honored," he executed another bow.

Umi fought down the urge to giggle—he really did demonstrate the manners of one accustomed to dealing with those of a higher rank. He personally might not have been of noble blood, but he carried himself with a noble air. Instead, she asked, "So if you were going to be in the army, how did you end up in charge of Caliana's safety?"

"If I might brag, I was an exemplary student, and my teachers said that I was on my way to becoming a master in my own right. When Caliana came of an age to need her own guard, there were many soldiers older and more experienced than I who were considered."

"And so you got the job because…"

"Caliana approached me one day and told me that I was now her captain. Then she took me to her father and told _him_ that I was now her captain," he winched slightly, remembering the argument that had resulted. "In the end, I had to demonstrate my skills. I suppose I impressed the King sufficiently, and now…here I am."

"So in other words, Caliana grabbed you and told you that you were in charge of her guard, and that was that?" Hikaru laughed. "Sounds like Caliana—man, she was nothing like that when she first came to Cephiro. She was quiet and didn't really talk to anyone. Wasn't until after she broke it off with Ferio that she started acting like…you know…a person."

Umi winced; somehow, she didn't think it was supposed to come out like that. But Kannon chuckled. "I would imagine. She is one of the strongest people I know, but she also takes her duty to the people very seriously. I know she was displeased about the union, but she resolved to go through with it for the good of Aldarba. So if she seemed a bit sullen…"

"I really can't blame her," Hikaru nodded, sobering a bit. "I can't imagine what it'd be like to be shipped off and told I was going to marry a complete stranger. How scary would that be?"

"Kannon…why didn't you come to Cephiro with her when she came to marry Ferio?" Umi asked. It was a question she had been waiting to ask for a while now, and she was interested to hear the answer. It might give her the clue she had been waiting for to either prove or disprove a suspicion.

The young man stared at her for a moment. But he shook himself quickly and replied, "I was taken ill just before we were to leave, and so I stayed behind. It was all right—she was in safe hands." The answer was innocuous enough, but there was a tone in his voice that spoke volumes.

And it confirmed Umi's quiet suspicion. She rose and began to walk towards him. Startled, Kannon began walking backwards as she advanced on him, only stopping when his back hit a tree. Umi stopped an arm's length away and smiled. "I knew it!" she said.

"Knew what?" he asked.

"You have a thing for Caliana!" she said triumphantly.

"A…thing?" he blinked, confused.

Hikaru had already bounced over to stand beside her fellow Knight. "She means you like her."

"Of course I like her," Kannon said indignantly. "She's my friend, and she is the Princess."

"No, no, we're not being clear," Umi waved a hand. "You have feelings for her. You know…love?"

In the blink of an eye, the young man had gone ashen. "N-no! Not at all!" he said quickly, glancing around. Then he took a deep breath. "Lady Umi…I understand how one could draw that conclusion, given how long the Princess and I have known each other. But I assure you that—"

"You keep calling her _the_ Princess," Hikaru said. "Why not Caliana? Or don't people sometimes refer to the ruler as theirs? Ya know, like people called Emeraude _our_ Pillar?"

Umi shook her head and waved a hand to silence Hikaru. "I'm sorry. We overstepped our boundaries a little bit. I apologize." She bobbed up and down in a quick bow.

To say Kannon looked relieved was an understatement. "Accepted. As I said, I understand how one could come to that conclusion, incorrect though it may be." He smiled and bowed in return. When he straightened, he gestured towards a path they had not yet taken. "Shall we continue?"

_**-o-**_

Kagura walked behind Aeric; Nairi, Malia, and Cristal were in step behind her. After walking down an unfamiliar corridor, they paused before a great set of doors that she had not seen before. Aeric turned back to her. "Our Lord is waiting," he said simply before pushing on the doors to part them.

The room that lay beyond those doors was the most massive she had seen yet, far larger than the stone room with the well. This room seemed to be cast of crystal, from the smooth floor to the multi-faceted ceiling. The light seemed to be emanating from somewhere above them, reflecting through the crystalline walls to brighten the room sufficiently.

In the middle of the room was a man, wearing a long burgundy robe with the hood hanging down his back. He was facing the door as they entered and approached, his face wearing a knowing smile. "Welcome, ladies," he said serenely.

Kagura continued to walk, but stopped when she realized that there were no further footsteps behind her. She glanced back, and saw that Aeric was standing by the door and the three girls in armor had each dropped to one knee, heads bowed in reverent genuflection. It startled her, and for a moment she was at a loss for what to do.

"Lady Kagura," he said, suddenly right in front of her. One of his hands clasped hers; she noticed that his touch was icy cold. "Welcome. I am Sorilbran, master of illusions and the lord of this keep." There was a note of grandiose importance in his voice as he introduced himself.

At a loss for what else to do, she dipped her head in a quick bow. "You already seem to know my name."

"Yes, child," he said. It startled her a bit, as she wouldn't have thought him to be that much older than her. Perhaps ten years her senior? Maybe he was older than she thought. If she was in Cephiro, then the power of one's will could very well alter a person's appearance. "We have been waiting for you."

There was a rustle behind her, and she imagined that the three other girls had risen. Still, she tried to focus. "Why have you been waiting for me?" This had to be the key to the whole of the situation—why she had been taken, imprisoned, given the armor and sword of a Magic Knight.

He smiled and squeezed her hand; she kept still only by exertion of extreme will power. "You are the Promised, child. It was foretold to us that you would come before us, and that you are the one who will tame and control the Beast of Darkness."

There certainly was a lot of discussion of darkness floating around this place. "What is that?"

"You will see in time," he assured her. "It is your destiny, for you are of the dark."

It was not the first time she had been told that, and it was beginning to worry her. These people obviously knew of her, but they did not know anything about her—did they? She was not a bad person, and she certainly did not do evil. And darkness seemed to go hand-in-hand with such things.

And she was studying this man—Sorilbran, he had said his name was. A strange name, as everything else here was strange. Aside from his icy hands and scarlet clothes, the only other thing that really struck her were his eyes. They were dark, jet black, almost completely colorless. It sent a chill through her. Those eyes did not look human, though everything else seemed to.

She needed a plan. There had to be a way to escape from this place—although she did not feel threatened, per se. Her initial arrival had been less than comfortable, but since then she had been given every comfort, had every need met. They had even handed her a weapon and armor! It made no sense. There was no reason she couldn't get out of here—after all, hadn't Umi managed to escape from Xander's stronghold with even less than what she had now?

...as her friend's face flickered through her mind, Kagura was startled to feel her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides. She was angry. Why was she so angry to think of Umi? They had been friends since childhood; they had no secrets from each other.

_Save for her adventures as a Magic Knight—_

Kagura swallowed hard as Sorilbran released his hold on her hand.

—_she didn't trust you enough to tell you about that until she had to._

Where were these thoughts coming from?

He stepped away from her, towards a small stand. It rather looked like an old-fashioned candle stand, with ornately-curled legs supporting it; it came to his chest-level, and on the top of it was a smooth semi-circle of black stone. He put one hand to the stone and then turned back to her. "I will help you find your true path, child," he said, a note of excitement finally changing his tone. "I will help you discover who you are truly meant to be."

"And how will you do that?" Kagura asked, still fighting to unclench her fists.

Sorilbran's smile was enigmatic. "I will begin by bringing your greatest enemy before you."

A mist seemed to form behind him, originating from the stone on the stand. As he said that final statement, it took on a vaguely human shape and colors. Blue eyes, and long blue hair…

_**-o-**_

Dinner with the royal family had proven to be quite an affair. Everything seemed so fancy!

Umi had attended a few business affairs with her father, so such proceedings were not exactly alien to her—though she was heard to inquire as to the proper manners for this world. Fuu didn't seem too concerned, but Hikaru, while outwardly cheerful, was displaying a few nervous gestures—fidgeting, toying with the end of her ponytail, and the like.

Overall, it had gone well, though, and as the servants whisked the last dish away, King Haider rose and announced that further discussions would commence in the morning. To say the envoys were grateful for the respite was an understatement.

As they left the dining hall, Umi nudged Fuu and told her that she should go take a look at the Palace gardens, as they were just beautiful. She also suggested that Ferio could go with her.

Fuu's look was only slightly murderous, but she was blushing.

The idea was a good one, though, and Magic Knight and Prince asked a passing servant how to find the gardens. In short order, they were opening the doors and wandering outside. The place was every bit as lovely as Umi had said, especially with the beginnings of sunset splashing across the sky.

After a while, they found a nice little spot under a fruit tree, where they had a perfect view of the horizon and the setting sun. And when Ferio's arm surreptitiously found its way around her shoulders, she didn't protest at all.

Time was something they didn't have a great deal of, and a day could come when they would truly never see each other again. Best to make the most of what was given to them, while they were in the same world and sharing the same sky.

"Did you think it was boring?" Ferio asked after a few minutes.

"The meeting? No, not at all," she said. "It's really interesting. I've never seen anything like this before."

"…just when I think you can't seem any more intelligent," he laughed.

Now she turned to look directly at him. "I thought that was something you liked about me," she teased.

"Indeed," he said, leaving towards her. Fuu started to lean towards him as well, eyes fluttering shut…

A movement above them caught her eye. She glanced up—

—just in time to see a piece of fruit break loose from the branch and cascade down.

Smacking Ferio directly on the head with an audible _thunk_.

His eyes snapped open for a second, and then closed again as his head wobbled, then dropped forward; his forehead ended up on her shoulder, and she instinctively reached up, catching his arms to steady him. He did not move.

Fuu sat there for a moment, then sighed and smiled wryly. _Figures…_

Maybe another night.

* * *

**PS.**_I am taking a new approach to writing this fic. I have a lot more of the outline in place, though I find that I keep reworking parts of it to try and get it just right. But anyway, my new approach—I am doing this one scene at a time for a daily community on LJ. Hopefully that'll help get the chapters out faster. I'm aiming for an update about once a month to once every two months. That's fair, I think. And I'm already hard at work on the outline for the third part of this trilogy._

_Also—the name Sorilbran means "smart" or "wise." Haider is an Arabic name meaning "king," and Morowa is an African name meaning "queen." I thought it fit well with Caliana meaning "princess."_

_Thanks for reading, all! Much love!_


	7. Of the Dark

**AN: **Another chapter? And it hasn't been six months? Hope everyone in Hell is enjoying the snow! I kid, I kid. Sort of. Anyway, on we go. Thanks for checking in again! I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth.

**Of the Dark**

When the messenger arrived, Kannon accepted the notice with thanks, assuring him that it would be delivered to the appropriate parties immediately. As the man departed, he glanced down at the scribbled message; his eyes widened, and he turned and made a beeline for the library, where he knew Caliana was holding council with the Magic Knights.

The small group of young women glanced up at his entrance; they all smiled at him. "What's up?" Hikaru cheered. An odd greeting, he privately thought—and she seemed so amused when he had offered a bewildered reply of 'the ceiling.'

"We just received a report," he said quickly, holding the parchment up. "There is a strange storm brewing just beyond the city border. The guards on the edge of the city say it does not seem to be a normal storm—it formed too quickly, and it seems to be too contained." Those were the words of the guard who had scribbled the message, not his own.

Judging by the expressions on the faces of the Magic Knights, this was not a good sign. Umi rose. "Where outside the city is it? How far is that?" Her hand unconsciously touched the blue gem, set into the glove on her hand. She seemed to take comfort in knowing that it was there, though her expression was still apprehensive.

"To the north," he said as the other two followed Umi's lead and stood. "It is possible that it is nothing at all, but something about it did not sit well with the soldiers out there."

"We had a freak-storm in Cephiro, not long after we got there," Hikaru said. "And it was a very veiled attack. I think it's in our best interest to go have a look at it and make sure it's nothing."

Fuu nodded her assent. "And it still bothers me—what I saw in the storm that night…" She frowned, her expression growing troubled. "I still swear that it looked for all the world like a girl riding a mashin. But," she squared her shoulders, "we won't find anything out by sitting here."

A quick goodbye later, they left Caliana and Kannon in the library and hurried to the nearest window, drawing their swords as they ran. Three names were called, and three lights flared accordingly in a succession of red, blue, and green. In moments, they were hovering over the Aldarban capital city within the safe confines of their mashin.

Hikaru led the way, and they followed the directions Kannon had given them, flying towards the mysterious storm that was trouble the Guard on the city limits. It did afford them the opportunity to get another look at the city from overhead, and they were still impressed at how large the city really was. It seemed to go on and on, even from their vantage point.

Still, they saw the storm from a fair distance away as they approached the northern wall. It was marked by a swath of dark clouds swirling around in a very concentrated area. Lightning was visible, sparking and flashing inside the clouds. All three privately found themselves agreeing with what the Guard had said in their report—something about it did not seem right. The color of the clouds, the shape of the storm-mass, the way the lightning flashed…something about it just seemed unnatural.

"If it is that girl again," Fuu said as they drew closer to the massive wall of clouds, "she'll probably be up above the clouds. But be careful. Remember what happened last time."

Umi shuddered, remembering all too well the feeling of lightning striking, of the electrical current surging through her entire body as well as her mashin, and the tremendous burning in every fiber of her, all of which she thought, for a fleeting moment, would kill her. She and Selece both survived the encounter, but it was not an experience either was in any hurry to repeat, nor were the other two eager to find out what it felt like to be struck by lightning.

"If we're going to go up there," Hikaru chimed in, "maybe we should do it now. Before we get there. There aren't so many clouds, and a whole lot less lightning." The others agreed readily.

As they ascended past the clouds, she cast a sympathetic look in Umi's direction, seeing the Knight of Selece shiver again at the mention of lightning. Considering that she had been the one most opposed to the idea of becoming a Magic Knight, and in doing so had accepted a destiny she freely admitted she did not want, it seemed like Umi had suffered more than any of them in some ways for that destiny.

It was something Hikaru had thought about a great deal lately. Her friends were important to her, and while she was not as smart as Fuu, she was not stupid. She and Fuu had suffered for Cephiro and for their duties as Magic Knights…but their trials tended to appear and be done with. One big moment, one spasm of pain, and then recovery.

Hikaru had fought her way through the Test of the Pillar.

Fuu had been prepared to surrender her beloved.

And both had seen their teammate die before their eyes, struck down by her own hand to seal their foe.

But Umi…she had fought her fate, yet accepted it to save her friends. She was the first one forced to prove herself before her mashin. She had watched quietly and without complaint as both her friends found love in Cephiro while being unable to see what was there for her in the young summoner. The darkness had nearly swallowed her through Xander's ploys and plots, leading her to a decisive moment where she had to take her own life.

And now she had lost one of her dearest friends to whoever it was that was bringing them out now. She was sure of that—Kagura's kidnappers and the freak-storms were linked.

Hikaru gave her friend another glance, though this time she was smiling. Umi was stronger than she thought. Fuu's strength was mental; she could think on her feet, and was peerless at forming plans and finding quick, creative solutions to whatever problem fell before her. Hikaru's was a physical power—she was easily the best fighter of the three of them.

But Umi's strength…it was internal. Beneath the flamboyant beauty was a core that was as strong as steel and as volatile as lava. When that center erupted and filled her, she could handle anything. It was at times like this, Hikaru privately thought, that it became obvious.

Hikaru admired Umi for that. Someday, she would have to tell her.

She had to withdraw from her thoughts, though, as they rose above the clouds and neared the storm-mass. It was even more formidable up close, and it became even more obvious exactly why the Guard had been alarmed. There was nothing natural about this, nor was there anything friendly. It was foreboding, and very dangerous.

"There!" Fuu hissed, her eyes narrowing.

Just as she'd said, the clouds parted to reveal a large form, standing out a golden yellow against the dark gray-brown clouds. It was a giant serpent, its flanks visibly heaving and shifting as it floated in the sky. And soon they were close enough to see…

"That girl again…" Fuu murmured, sounding both alarmed and puzzled. The same girl, short-haired and clad in a cloak or cape of some kind, was standing on the serpent's muzzle. "Should we attack?"

As if in response to the question, lightning flared; the streak went right between the three of them, close enough that all found themselves nursing red patches of skin from the heat. The interesting part was that the lightning came _up_, rather than striking down. And it was too close, without hitting any of them, to be a coincidence.

They were being attacked. And there was really only one thing they could do in response to that.

In a flash, the mashin were armed with swords, and they charged. Selece was the fastest, and so Umi led the attack; her eyes blazed, and a nervous trickle of sweat ran down her forehead, but she was not to be deterred by something as petty as fear. She was one who had known the truest nature of terror.

This was nothing.

For a moment, it looked as though the girl was going to do nothing. She stood there, watching passively as the three came at her. But as they drew near, she raised a hand—

Clouds rushed around Umi, separating her from the others. And strangely enough, as Fuu and Hikaru tried to push through to their friend, the clouds seemed to push them back, solidifying into a wall and physically blocking their way. There was a flare of light that could only be lightning, and they heard Umi's scream coupled with a bellow that they knew to be Selece.

But this time, Umi did not fall to the ground.

Selece and his Knight both began to drop…but the girl waved her hand again, and the clouds below them opened up and began to swirl into a funnel-shaped cloud, like a tornado. As Hikaru and Fuu looked on in horror, the mashin was stopped, hovering just above the wide mouth of the storm. He hung there for a moment, face down, before something bathed in blue light was seemingly ripped from his chest.

Umi, falling from the protection of her mashin. She dropped directly into that whirlwind…

And vanished.

Spurred on by a fury she had not realized she was capable of, Fuu tore past the clouds and surged straight up to the girl on the serpent. "You!" she spat angrily, brandishing her sword. She felt Hikaru move up behind her, feeling the heat of Rayearth's mane. "What have you done?"

She didn't expect an answer, and so was stunned when a soft female voice seemed to come from the vicinity of the mashin. "I have fulfilled my orders, and taken what I was sent here to claim."

"What do you mean?" Hikaru growled. "What do you want with Umi?"

This time, there was no answer. The clouds surged around them again, and by the time they were able to fight their way free of the sky-borne bindings, everything was gone. Girl, serpent, and whirlwind had vanished, leaving them alone in the sky.

"Why does this always happen to Umi?" Hikaru moaned, trying desperately not to panic.

**_"Do not fear," _**a voice intoned, and they recognized it again as Selece. **_"She is safe. And she is not far."_**

"Can we follow her?" Fuu demanded.

**_"Yes."_**

That was all the encouragement either girl needed, and they flew again, following Selece's lead as he traced Umi to bring them to the aid of his chosen Magic Knight.

**_-o-_**

Umi recognized the feeling of the lightning strike, as well as the feeling of paralysis that came with it. Her limbs wouldn't move, and her body refused to cooperate, and she found herself at the mercy of whatever was happening outside her mashin. She felt a strange tug on her arms and legs…

And without warning, she was tumbling through the air in a free-fall. Her cloak and armor, the ones she wore only when nestled within Selece, became ribbons of blue light before changing back to her normal armor and regular clothes. Which meant that she was no longer in Selece.

What was happening?

There wasn't much time to think it over, though. She was falling into what looked like some sort of tornado or whirlwind. And as her limbs slowly began to regain feeling, she plummeted directly into the mouth of it. In that instant, the gusting wind tore at her hair, clothes, face, like so many knives.

She thought she screamed, but she wasn't entirely sure.

More alarming was the fact that the ground was below those clouds, and the laws of gravity held true in Aldarba as in Cephiro and on Earth. If she fell through the clouds…if no one caught her…

She was going to die.

Strange, though—the world was starting to spin. For a moment she thought she was just caught up in that vortex of swirling air and water—and she desperately wished she had enough stability or focus to use her magic somehow. But no…things were spinning at an alarming rate…

And the next thing she knew, she was landing hard, sprawled flat on her back.

And she was no longer outdoors.

Umi sat up and looked around, bewildered. She was in a long corridor, entirely made of gray stone. Alarmed at the inexplicable change in scenery, she jumped to her feet, wincing at the memory of the lightning and the wind, though there were no actual marks on her skin from either. She was visibly uninjured, though she could feel it down to her bones.

The hallway went on for possibly miles—that what it seemed, at least. She could see stairs at either end of it, and many big, arched doorways that led to capillary hallways, all sprouting off in different directions. The curved tops of those doorways were engraved with ornate designs—one a flower of some sort, another with clouds, and a third with a tree's graceful branches. Aside from those and a long crimson floor runner that spanned the entire length of the corridor, the place was void of decoration.

Unable to find any sign of how she got there or clue as to where she was, Umi drew her sword and began to walk in one direction, unsure of what else to do. It was not the first time she had found herself in the enemy's stronghold—though she did not yet know for certain if this was the enemy's lair or not—but it was still a jarring and disquieting feeling, to be in a place she did not know, uncertain of whether she would encounter friend or foe.

Still, the fact that there were stairs there was promising. It meant there was a chance she could find a way out of this place. She just had to look for it, and keep on her toes, guard always up. Tightening her grip on the hilt of her sword, she quickened her step.

**_-o-_**

"The Knight of Selece is in the palace."

Kagura had been examining the hilt of her sword, for a lack of anything better to look at. But at Sorilbran's words, she jumped to her feet, her hand grasping the blade even closer. "What?"

He smiled at her, that same little grin that spoke of benevolence and falsehoods. "Malia was successful in her mission. As I promised, Kagura, I have brought your greatest enemy before you. The Knight of Selece is in the palace."

Her eyes widened. _Umi…_

He glanced back down at the large book he had been perusing, running one bony finger down the page. "She is searching for a way out, though. Not for you."

Determined not to be deterred and not to give into that strange feeling rising like bile in the back of her throat, Kagura shook her head. "She just doesn't know that I'm here. She probably just thinks she's been captured and wants to escape." _Just like last time…_ she added mentally, though she did not voice that thought. She had been careful as of late, regarding which thoughts she did and did not verbalize.

Strange things seemed to happen when she spoke her mind around here.

"Of course," Sorilbran said smoothly. "Very well, Kagura. I shall offer a compromise. You are not truly our prisoner here. We simply brought you here to give you the opportunity to realize your own destiny—a destiny far greater than that of your friend down there." He smiled. "But as it seems you do not feel equal to it, and so reject it, I offer you the direct path to your freedom."

A wave of his hand produced a doorway in the wall. Kagura started. "What is—"

"That will take you directly to the Knight of Selece," he replied, anticipating the question. "If you wish to go find her and leave this place with her, you are free to do so. No one will stop you. But…" He turned to look her squarely in the eye, "if you wish to know what power you truly hold, I strongly recommend that you stay here with us."

Kagura stood still for a moment, trying to figure out if this was some sort of a trap. But no, it couldn't be…aside from her first rough landing in this place, they had treated her well. She had not felt in any danger, though she could not necessarily explain why she felt so safe. She felt like she should be panicking, but could not.

Her first two steps towards that open, inviting doorway were more stumbling than actual walking, but she quickly righted herself and quickened pace, and ran through that doorway, down the flight of stairs that lay beyond it.

Watching her retreating back, Sorilbran smirked and turned to touch that same smooth half-globe of black crystal. The image that appeared in the air before him was of Kagura running, her long hair streaming behind her as she went in search of her dearest friend, now greatest enemy.

This would be interesting to watch. So very interesting indeed.

**_-o-_**

"Umi!"

At the sound of her name, Umi froze dead in her tracks, stunned motionless. She knew that voice as well as she knew her own name. She had been hearing it since they were old enough to talk, laughing and discussing and bickering and all the things that went along with a deep, long-lasting friendship.

She turned around, and her sword clattered to the burgundy carpet at her feed. "Kagura!" The smile on her face was probably ridiculously large, but she didn't care. She simply vaulted herself towards the figure running at her, and they collided in a great big hug, nearly knocking each to the ground from sheer exuberance alone.

The next several seconds were spent poking each other to ensure that yes, indeed, the other one was real. There was a resounding chorus of their voices, jumbled together as they asked each other the same questions—are you all right? Are you hurt? What happened? Did you miss me?—and giving the same answers—I'm fine, don't worry. God, I was so worried about you! So much has happened, you wouldn't believe it!

When they both finally calmed down, Umi swallowed hard in a desperate attempt to get herself back under control, though she really did want to cry for joy and relief. "Are you…I mean, you're coming with me, right? We'll find a way out of here?"

"We don't need to find a way out!" Kagura exclaimed. "I know the way!"

"Even better!" Umi said in a rush as they started running; she stooped to gather up her fallen sword as they passed it, and returned it to the jewel on her glove without breaking step. "We've been staying in Aldarba. So much has been happening, and we've been worried about you, and…and…" She trailed off as she noticed something odd about Kagura's outfit, something she had missed in the overwhelming excitement and relief at simply seeing Kagura's face again and seeing that she was okay.

Kagura seemed to notice her scrutiny. "What?"

"Your…your clothes," Umi said, slowing to a stop. "That armor is…"

"Oh, you noticed!" Kagura laughed, starting to jabber excitedly. "Can you believe it? They told me I was a Magic Knight! I've got the sword and magic and armor and everything—just like you and the other girls!" She clapped her hands, letting Umi see the leather glove she wore. It was inlaid with an ovum-gem, identical to the one Umi herself wore save for color.

Umi was sure that her reaction was not what Kagura was expecting. "Kagura…no!" she protested, horrified. "Being a Magic Knight…it's not a good thing! It's horrible! There's so much pain! You have to do things—be willing to sacrifice everything for Cephiro!"

Kagura looked somewhere between lost and hurt. "W-what?"

Umi shook her head frantically, desperately trying to order her thoughts. Kagura? A Magic Knight? How could this be? "I told you what happened during the battle with the Pillar, didn't I? How awful that was? And you remember how much it changed me, don't you?"

Umi herself remembered it all too well—the daily interrogations over what was wrong and what had happened and why Umi was so sad. She had tolerated it, knowing that Kagura meant well, but she did not want to talk about it, and she was not about to tell Kagura the truth of what had happened to her in the moment that light had flashed over Tokyo Tower. Takeshi had done it as well, but she didn't see him every day; she didn't have to walk to and from school with him, sit in class with him and eat lunch. His questions and knowing looks were easier to avoid, whereas Kagura's were unavoidable by circumstance.

"But…but I thought…" Kagura now looked genuine confused.

"We had to murder Emeraude to save Cephiro, don't you remember?" Umi said, pleading with Kagura to understand. "Or the fight with Xander—you were there for that! You saw everything as it happened. You know how terrible it can be! You've seen the things that can happen!" She swallowed hard. "Kagura, I died in that fight. I don't want that for you! I never want any of my friends to suffer like I had to! Please understand that!"

She was extremely worried, though—something about Kagura seemed very off, including the way she was reacting. It was not like her to respond to much of anything with that kind of a lost puppy look. It was like someone else was wearing her friend's face. A familiar stranger.

She was expecting several different responses—understanding, questions, even argument. But she had not anticipated seeing Kagura's face darken like that, her pretty features clouding with unmistakable rage. "What? Why can't I be a Magic Knight?" she said, tone low with anger. "You are. The others are. Why can't I be one too?"

"Kagura—" Umi took a step back, stunned.

"What? Am I not good enough?" she spat the words out, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "Not special enough to be in your little club? Or do you just not trust me enough to keep up? God forbid that you not be the special one for once in your goddamn life."

"W-what? No!" Umi protested desperately. "I don't want you to have to suffer—"

"Well, aren't you noble?" Kagura said furiously.

"Kagura, what's wrong with you?" Umi asked. This was not right, not at all. Kagura could be excitable, and she was prone to moments where she would possess a one-track mind. But she was not unreasonable, nor was she usually this quick to anger.

"I don't think the problem here lies with me, Umi," Kagura intoned, taking a step back. "I thought we were friends, all this time. I told them so, but they told me I was wrong, and still I refused to believe them. But in the end, he was right. I didn't want to believe him, but he was right."

_He?_ Umi wondered briefly, but she was cut off as Kagura began to glow, a dark aura that outlined her and seemed to radiate anger and pain and evil. Umi took another step back, unable to tear her eyes away from her best friend.

…now former best friend, it would seem.

"You are my enemy," Kagura intoned.

The floor seemed to drop out from under Umi. "Kagura, no—"

She closed her eyes and shook her head before fixing Umi with a penetrating stare. "I am of the Dark." As she spoke, one hand moved to her glove, and in a burst of shadows there was a sword in her hand, in exactly the same manner as Umi herself would draw her own Escudo-made sword. The dark aura around her seemed to grow, spilling onto the hallway floor and creeping up the walls.

As Umi stumbled backwards, still staring in horror, Kagura's sword and armor changed. They had been colorless upon their meeting. But as the shadows crept in closer, they changed. Her armor seemed to fill in with color, as black as ebony, inlaid with gold. Her sword hilt was very much the same. And the gem on her glove from whence she had pulled her sword…

Black.

"Kagura, no!" Umi tried to protest, but she was again cut off as Kagura lunged at her. Her well-trained reflexes saved her, though, and she dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, getting to her feet just in time to avoid another assault.

Kagura was attacking her in a calculated frenzy, if such a thing were possibly. There was no mistaking her fury, both from her expression and the slightest tremor in her sword hand. But every move she made was precise and perfect, with the obvious intention of putting an end to Umi's protests and arguments once and for all.

Somehow, amidst all the hopping around and dodging, Umi managed to draw her own sword. When Kagura next attacked her, Umi met her opponent's blade with her own, resulting in a loud clang of metal on metal. Kagura jumped back, and Umi took advantage of the momentary respite to get to her feet and steady herself before glaring at Kagura. "Please—don't do this."

But despite her desperate pleas, it seemed that Kagura had nothing more to say to her on the matter, and let her sword do the talking for her.

All in all, Umi was having difficulty holding a defense. She was too stunned by this sudden turn of events to muster any sort of offensive at all. It was all she could really do to hold her own, keeping Kagura's attacks from landing too hard in any truly damaging places. Still, her blood was shed from cuts here and there, though there was nothing immediately threatening or serious. But it hurt, and not just the physical aspect of things. And Kagura was rapidly gaining ground. It wouldn't be long before…

_CLANG!_

There was a loud sound, of metal meeting metal, followed by a whooshing sound and the metallic clattering of Kagura's sword hitting the ground several meters away. She stood there for a moment, staring at her now-empty hand in bewilderment. "W-what…?"

Behind her, Hikaru held her own sword aloft, having just used it to disarm Kagura. "I don't know what's going on," she said sternly, lowering her arm to her side, "but I don't like it." She took a step towards Kagura. "What are you doing? …and what are you wearing? That's—"

"The armor of a Magic Knight," Kagura said coldly, turning to look at Hikaru. Her violet eyes were hard, and strangely amused. "But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Hikaru dear? Or would you?" She smirked. "Never were the brightest crayon in the tool shed, were you?"

If the words touched a nerve, Hikaru gave no outward indication of them finding their mark. Instead, she simply glared. "I saw enough, and I heard enough. What happened to you?" Only on the last word did a note of desperation enter her voice.

"I learned a few things about myself during my stay here with these fascinating people," Kagura said lightly. "And one of those things is that I have power. Great power. It just needs the chance to be brought out. Something none of you," she glanced around, "would have helped me to do. So I've also learned a few things about my so-called friends."

Pulling herself to her feet, Umi noticed Fuu standing a few paces behind Hikaru. The Knight of Windam's face was expressionless at this little speech. "Kagura," Fuu spoke up. "I think you're wrong."

"Good for you," she said smoothly. "Then I'm afraid you are my enemies as well." She turned to glare at both of them, her look as hard and cold as ice. "And I will destroy you, just as I will destroy her." That last was accompanied by a gesture towards Umi.

"But—"

Hikaru's attempt at a protest fell on deaf ears as the darkness swelled, and the three Magic Knights were thrown backwards into the walls of the narrow corridor. With them momentarily removed as obstacles, she casually walked over to retrieve her sword. When she turned back to them, bearing a black sword cast in Escudo, she intoned one more time, "I am of the Dark."

**_"We must retreat."_**

The voice in Hikaru's head startled her. _"Rayearth?"_

**_"You cannot win this fight as it stands now,"_** he cautioned. **_"Retreat, or be destroyed."_**

_"But Kagura is—"_

**_"She has been subverted. She will kill all of you, and she has the power to do it."_**

Hikaru hesitated, then agreed. "We have to leave!" she called to her friends. "We can't win this!"

Judging by the look on Fuu's face, she had just had a similar exchange with her own mashin. She caught Hikaru's eye and nodded curtly. She understood. Now there was just…

"No…" Umi looked torn. Selece had undoubtedly given her the same message as Rayearth and Windam. She knew that her mashin spoke the truth, and she knew that they had to leave. But she had been so desperate to find Kagura again, and now to lose her to this darkness…

"Umi!" Fuu said desperately as Kagura again began to call the darkness.

Making her decision, Umi tightened her hold on her sword and gave Kagura one last look. "…S-Selece…" In a flare of blue light, she was taken to the safety of her mashin.

The others followed suit.

"…is this how you found me?" Umi asked, though her tone indicated no real interest in the answer.

"Selece brought us to you," Fuu affirmed softly.

As the mashin flew away, Umi looked back down, and for the first time she saw the massive structure that was apparently their enemy's hideout. It was a tall needle, cast in dark gray stone. It was floating in the sky, and as they moved away from it, it was soon lost to their sight behind a wall of black clouds.

Umi kept her eyes back towards it, though, long after she could no longer see it. In her mind, she kept replaying the scene over and over again, a movie stuck on constant repeat.

Kagura's anger.

Kagura's accusations.

Kagura's attack.

She closed her eyes. "…why?"

* * *

**PS.** _On LJ, there is a challenge called **summerwrite**. And the goal of summerwrite is to write 150,000 words over the course of four months, running from May 1st to August 31st. Guess what my main focus for the challenge is :D So there should hopefully be more updates over the next few weeks. Thanks for reading, all! Much love!_


	8. Stirring Echoes

**AN: **What's this? ANOTHER CHAPTER? 0.0 Blessed be summerwrite, for it's actually getting some updates for this story, ne? I do not own MKR. Just playing around with it for fun.

* * *

**Stirring Echoes**

The mashin deposited the three girls back on a balcony at the Aldarban palace before absenting themselves, flying up into the sky and vanishing from site. They were back in their normal clothes and regular armor. And there was a small group of people waiting for them.

"Thank goodness you are safe!" Caliana breathed a sigh of relief as she hurried towards them with outstretched arms. "Are you all right? What has happened?"

Fuu took the princess' hands. "We're all fine. The storm is gone."

Lantis, meanwhile, had moved silently and attached himself to Hikaru's side. He showed no inclination to move away anytime soon. That was his way, though—a silent possessiveness. But she understood it, and that was what mattered; she reached up and slid her hand into his, giving it a comforting squeeze as she offered him a reassuring smile.

"What happened…?" Ferio was walking towards them, but paused and trailed off as Umi moved. She started walking towards the arched doorway that led back into the palace. As she passed him, the Cephirean prince glanced at Fuu and whispered, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Ferio. You didn't," Umi replied, pausing in the doorway. She did not turn around, and her voice stayed steady. "But my best friend has decided that she hates me, and is going to kill me. She already tried to do it once. Oh," here her voice shuddered slightly, "…and she's a Magic Knight, too."

And she took to her heels and strode down the corridor, leaving the others behind. _I'm sorry, Fuu, Hikaru. Sorry to leave you with all the explanations, but…dammit…_

The gardens. She could go there and be relatively undisturbed, couldn't she? Yes, that was a good plan. It was sheltered. She could hide if need be. With her plan set, she hurried, trying to remember the exact path that led to what would be her oasis.

She chose a spot amidst a cluster of trees. It was shaded, and the ground there was comfortable to sit on, and she could easily hide from prying eyes. In short, it was perfect. She took a seat there and pulled her knees up to her chest, trying desperately not to think while her emotions and thoughts insisted on being recognized and acknowledged immediately.

It didn't take her long, though, to realize that she was, in fact, not alone. She had been followed, and it wasn't hard to guess who had traced her out here. Even if she hadn't seen the fold of a robe's sleeve vanishing behind a tree. She sighed. "Ascot, don't lurk. You can come over here." She really did want to be alone, but somehow, she couldn't turn him away.

Ascot obediently crept over and took a seat next to her. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.

Umi hesitated a second, then sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Just…stay with me? Please?" Suddenly she was glad he had come out here. She didn't want to talk about what had happened just yet, but his presence was comforting.

And thankfully, blessedly, he understood.

**_-o-_**

Two days had passed since their adventure to the border.

And there had been no further disturbances and no further word of anything—Kagura, the mysterious girl in the storm, the stone needle in the sky…nothing at all. The searches had found nothing, and the inquiries had yielded no results.

For Umi, the waiting was the worst part of it.

So she flung herself into whatever tasks she could find at the palace. She had made acquaintance with the palace cooks, and they permitted her time in the kitchen; she was teaching them to bake various pastries, using ingredients from this world. The workers had been delighted, and begged to learn more, and so she was able to hide from the problems here and there.

At the moment, though, she was wandering back towards her room with every intention of taking a nap and pretending that nothing existed for a while. The avoidance tactic was not a particularly good one, but at this point she was clinging to it. She rounded a corner…

And froze as every hair on the back of her neck stood straight up.

She was being watched.

Umi tensed, glancing around. There was no one there, and no place for anyone to hide and still be able to see her without being seen. And stranger still, she felt something nearby…something strangely familiar, like an old friend…

It hit her.

With a sigh, Umi crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side, eyes closed in annoyance. "Honestly, Amaya. Don't sneak up on me like that. If you want my attention, just come out and say hello."

Sure enough, the specter of her ancestor and predecessor appeared a mere meter in front of her. "Well played, Umi. Well played, indeed," she chuckled with a toss of her hair.

"What are you doing here?" Umi asked, some of the irritation leaving her pose and expression.

Amaya grew more serious. "You're not the only ones here to investigate, bright one. We are here—all three of us, Michiko and Sachi are here as well—to look into some strange goings-on in the Other-realm. Things have been happening, and as near as we can tell, it's connected to what's going on here. Possibly related to Kagura's disappearance, along with all the other strange happenings."

"What kind of things are happening there?" The other side of that veil was still a mystery to Umi. What kinds of things could possibly be going on there?

"Souls have been vanishing," Amaya said. "Spirits have gone missing."

"I take it that's bad?" Umi asked.

"Depending on where those souls are, the closest thing I could compare it to in the living world," Amaya replied, folding her arms, "…is murder." At Umi's goggled expression, she elaborated. "The soul does not have a soul of its own, Umi. If a spirit is destroyed…that's it. They're gone. There is nothing left."

Umi looked stricken. "That's horrible!"

"And even more disturbing is the fact that it's happening at all," Amaya went on. "I already told you how much power it takes to remove a person's soul from their body without killing the person, correct?"

"Yes…"

"The simple fact is that anything involving spirits or souls takes an obscene amount of magic and know-how. To take a soul or to subvert it…it's nothing any amateur could accomplish. And as near as we can tell…" her expression darkened. "Do you remember the monster that controlled Xander?"

Umi nodded. "Shadow, wasn't it?" Her eyes widened. "You don't think—"

"It didn't fall for the same trick twice," Amaya confirmed with a sharp nod. "Xander was sealed away, there's no doubt about that. But Shadow escaped. And it has the power to do it, no question. So he must have a new pawn somewhere…" She trailed off, fading into thought.

There was far less thought on Umi's part, though. She was certain she knew.

_Shadow has my best friend._

**_-o-_**

"I'm just…worried," Fuu admitted, following Caliana through the maze of corridors that made up the interior of the Aldarban palace. She was getting a better grasp on where things were and the general layout of the place, but when going somewhere new, a guide was practically a necessity.

"Is there something specific you are worried about?" the princess asked as she paused to open yet another large door and lead through it. "Or is it the whole of the situation in general?" She was dressed down again, in a more feminine version of a Guard's uniform. There was no reason for her to be dressed and made up like a doll when there was no one to impress, she said firmly.

"Everything," she sighed. "Umi, Kagura…Hikaru took that awful comment of Kagura's pretty hard. Not that she'll let you know it—she'll do her best to keep you thinking that everything is perfect. Lantis is keeping an eye on her, though. She'll be all right. This whole situation is just god-awful, though. And I'm especially wondering about that girl…"

"The one you saw in the storm?"

"Yes. I want to know who she is," Fuu tapped her chin thoughtfully. "One thing's for sure, though. She was controlling the weather. Those were not ordinary storms. They were too precise. They hit their mark far too perfectly to be chance. And that serpent…it looked like a mashin. But not a mashin I've ever seen before. The only three I was aware of were Windam, Rayearth, and Selece. And she said she had been sent there. So she's working for someone else. And I still can't figure out what it was about her that bothered me so much…it was something physical, I'm sure…"

Caliana nodded to a guard. "The library is that door," she gestured. "So you wish to find something of this person who gives the orders? And perhaps through that, you will find something of the girl herself? Or the other way around?"

Fuu chuckled. "At this point, I'll take whatever information I can find. Any little detail could be important. And thank you for letting me look in the library—and for helping me."

"It is no trouble. I am glad I can be of assistance," Caliana waved a hand and opened the appointed door. "I only hope we can find something of use." She led the way through the door and into the library, stepping aside as Fuu entered and closing the door behind them.

For a moment Fuu forgot to breathe.

She had anticipated the Royal Library of Aldarba to be impressively sizable, but somehow she had not expected this. The ceiling seemed to reach up to the sky, and the walls appeared to be miles apart. And there were shelves lining every wall, shelves in neat rows across the length and breadth of the room…

Behind her, Caliana chuckled. "I take it you are pleased with our modest collection?"

"Modest? This is modest?" Fuu gaped openly, not bothering with any semblance of restraint.

"I could take you to the library in the city, if you would like to go," Caliana offered. "This is merely our private collection. It houses more than books. There are documents here, treaties, things of great importance. Some things here are of great secrecy. The history of our kingdom lies in documentation on these shelves. And you are free to peruse it as you wish, by my mother's order." She smiled.

"What's the library in the city like?"

"It is the public library, open to all citizens," she replied. "There are more things meant to be read for pleasure, but there are also documents and resources of a different kind. It might be worth our while to go and look after we are done here."

"I'd like that," Fuu said. "Thank you."

Caliana's aura flared slightly as she smiled; it was chocolate-brown in color and visible to Fuu's eyes because of her brief sojourn into the spirit's side of the veil. Somehow, it was a comfort to see it now. She was learning to read them, how they reflected thought and emotion.

For example, Umi's had been clamped down very tightly over the last few days, much as she had walled up her true emotions over the affair and adopted an uncharacteristically business attitude over the whole thing. Her reasoning was simply that she was a Magic Knight. No one questioned beyond that.

As Fuu began looking through the shelves (and she was pleasantly surprised to find them meticulously organized), there was a moment of silence before Caliana spoke again. "Ferio seems to be well."

Recognizing the statement for what it was—an invitation to conversation—Fuu smiled. "He is. I know he was busy for quite some time, cleaning up the aftermath of the battle." She sighed and decided to be completely honest. "It's wonderful to be together again. But in some ways…it gets harder every time I see him. Because I know that as things are now, I can't stay with him." She looked down at the book in her hands. "We'll be parted again, sooner or later."

"That does make things trying," Caliana agreed. "I do not know a great deal of your situation. I merely know what you have told me. But is there truly no way for you to stay together?"

"This is the fourth time we've come to this world," Fuu murmured. "We fulfill our purpose here. And then we are returned to our own world. The door closes behind us. We haven't been able to figure out a way to open it on our own, permanently or in short bursts." She sighed. "You're lucky, though. You probably don't have to worry about being separated from the one you love."

Caliana was silent, and Fuu glanced at her. The princess had gone pale, and her eyes had taken on a downcast look. "Highness?" Fuu said, alarmed. "I'm sorry—I didn't mean to—"

To her amazement, Caliana smiled and shook her head. "You have said nothing wrong. The fact is that there is someone who is…special to me. But it is merely infatuation, nothing more." She looked back down at her own book. "I even spoke to my mother on the matter."

"What did she say?"

"She told me that all girls have feelings like these at some point. It is a normal part of being young and growing up, and that it would probably pass if given time," Caliana said, then paused. "But she also said something rather cryptic…" Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the Queen's words. "She said to wait and see…but to not ignore how I feel if those feelings do not change." She smiled again. "Mama is a far wiser woman than I."

"I've never heard you call her Mama," Fuu said.

"It is what I called her when I was a child. Every now and then it slips out during private moments."

"But I understand what she means," Fuu turned a page. "Did you tell her who it is?"

"I did."

"Would you tell me?"

"I beg your forgiveness, but I would rather not."

Fuu shook her head. "That's your right."

"Still," Caliana sighed, "she did not seem terribly…surprised. And she did not appear to be upset when I told her who the, ah, object of my affections was. It was almost like she expected it." A note of discomfort slipped into her voice at that.

Fuu decided not to ask again, though she already had a suspicion. "All right, I sense that we're moving into uncomfortable territory. So we can change the subject."

"Might I ask about Umi and her missing friend?" Caliana said.

"Kagura and Umi go way back," Fuu replied. "Their parents were friends, so the two of them spent a lot of time together from the time they were toddlers. They just never stopped being friends. A lot of friendships don't make it past middle school, but Umi said they were closer than ever. They've always struck me as a pair of kindred spirits. I never thought anything would be able to ruin their friendship."

"Now it seems that the promise of power has done just that," the princess said.

"Except that's not Kagura," Fuu shook her head. "I don't know her as well as Umi does, but I can confidently say that the Kagura I know would never have said anything like that. Especially what she said to Hikaru. She's not that kind of person. She wouldn't sell us out like that. Something happened to her. And until we find out what that something is, we can't help her."

Caliana nodded. "I apologize for my uncharitable assumptions."

"You haven't done anything wrong," she sighed. "It's just…I haven't seen Umi like this since we were in middle school, back when we first came to Cephiro. Not speaking to many people unless required, hiding, avoidance…it's really how all of us acted after the Pillar battle. We were crushed. And it just means that right now Umi is hurt even more than she wants to let on."

"…you are very wise, Lady Fuu," Caliana said.

"Not really," Fuu shook her head. "I simply know my friends."

"I stand by my statement. You are wise," Caliana said. "But look at us, standing here with our tongues wagging at both ends. We have a mission to accomplish!" She returned to the books with renewed enthusiasm, earning a giggle from Fuu.

It was not the first time that she had seen some of Umi's more interesting character traits in the Aldarban Princess. Those little moments seemed slightly at odd with Caliana's normal refinement, but at the same time, it was refreshing. That was the real Caliana, kept carefully tucked away from the eyes of the people, and only let out amongst close friends and those she trusted most.

Quite some time had passed before Caliana spoke up. "Fuu, you mentioned a monster earlier. Some power that controlled the sorcerer Xander. What did you say it was called?"

"Shadow," Fuu replied.

"Then you might want to look at this," the princess set the open book on a table and pointed.

Fuu bent over the book and began to read. _Legends hold of a being known only as Shadow…_

**_-o-_**

"There's no doubt," Fuu sighed. "They're hiding somewhere in this country. The question is where."

The three living Knights were sitting with Caliana and Kannon in Caliana's parlor. The three deceased Knights were hovering around the perimeter of the room, listening to the conversation and prepared to jump in with any thoughts they might have.

Caliana's eyes widened; her hands clenched in her lap. "But—but that is impossible," she sputtered. "We are a peaceful country! We do not condone any such things within our borders—"

Fuu put a reassuring hand on the princess' shoulder. "We know that you didn't have anything to do with it, Highness. But the fact remains that they are now here, and we need to figure out how to stop them. They probably took refuge here because they thought it would be easier to hide."

"This whole thing is making my head hurt," Hikaru sighed, leaning on the arm of the couch. "Sachi, do you have any thoughts on this?" She glanced at her ancestor. "You guys have been around a lot longer than we have. Is there any way that Kagura could be a Magic Knight?"

She was visibly startled when Sachi did not immediately discount the possibility. "It is not completely impossible," she said slowly. "But a true Magic Knight has partnered with a mashin. That seems the biggest obstacle in her path, to my mind."

"Umi," Amaya piped up, "what exactly did she say to you when she told you this? As close to word-for-word as you can, please. I have a thought, but I need to hear it again."

Surprised, Umi tapped her chin. "She said that she was a Magic Knight…I think she said something about having a great destiny…she claimed that she was of the dark, and said—"

"Wait—of the dark?" Michiko cut in this time. "Is that exactly what she said?"

"Y-yes…" Umi said, wide-eyed. "Those words exactly. I'll never forget it."

Michiko glanced at Amaya. "You don't think it could be…"

"It makes sense with what we know," Amaya conceded.

"What?" Hikaru asked.

Another look passed between the three ghosts before Michiko began to speak. "It's a legend, at least as old as the stories of the Magic Knights. There were two beasts, known as Light and Dark. They fought a great battle, and from the magic spent in that battle a third being was born. This was neither Light nor Dark, but bore the aspects and powers of both. It calmed the storm, and all three were scattered, where they've slept, waiting the one who would awaken them."

"What do you mean, awaken them?" Fuu asked.

"According to the story, there is a person who will awaken the power of Light or Dark. That person is known in the legends as the Promised," Michiko explained. "I'd be willing to lay money that the beasts the story mentions are mashin."

"So…if Kagura is this Promised person, and she partners with one of those two," Hikaru said slowly, "then she'll have a mashin. And she'll be a full Magic Knight. Just like the story says."

"It does make sense…" Fuu admitted.

Umi said nothing. Her shoulders had drawn up, and she was visibly withdrawing into herself, bowing her head. Her hands clenched in her lap. Her expression was pensive. Not only did Shadow have her best friend, but now…it seemed that Kagura was right.

If there was a god, and that god was at all merciful, Kagura's destiny as a Magic Knight, whatever it was, would not align with what Umi herself had suffered.

**_-o-_**

As they left the three girls from Earth, Amaya gave Michiko a look that was a strange combination of curiosity, understanding, and accusation. "You didn't tell them the rest of the story."

"I'm aware of that," Michiko said quietly. "I don't think I need to explain to you why I didn't mention it." She glanced back towards the door. "Poor Umi already has so much on her mind. She doesn't need that extra detail to make things worse."

"Michiko's right," Sachi spoke up, also glancing back. "They will know soon enough. Let's just wait. Perhaps it will not come to pass…" Her expression darkened. "Maybe it will not happen like that…"

**_-o-_**

"I want you to find it."

Kagura looked up, startled as the words dropped into the silence. "It?"

Sorilbran nodded. "I spoke of it to you earlier. I would like you to go and find it. Take the others with you. They can and will help you. Once you have found it…" his smile broadened. "You will finally be on the path to unlock your true fate."

She rose. "Yes, sir." She started towards the door, then paused. "With all due respect, sir…how will this help me to best Umi?" It was bordering on frightening, how thoughts of destroying the blue-haired Knight of Selece had filled her mind. It was nearing an obsession, though she still felt, deep down, like she couldn't quite place exactly why she felt that way.

But hadn't Umi betrayed her? Telling her not to be a Magic Knight…Umi was her enemy. That was fact.

"Be patient, child," he said soothingly. "Once you have found it, you will have your revenge. That is a promise. And in the meantime, I am arranging a little surprise for the Magic Knights. A little something to keep them occupied while you do what you need to do."

"A surprise?"

"Oh yes, child," he said. "The Knight of Selece is going to suffer…"

**_-o-_**

It was almost a given that Umi took a great amount of pride in her hair; she'd heard it said that every girl should have one true vanity, and that was decidedly hers. She had grown it for years to get it this long, and she took very careful care of it. It was said to be the envy of many.

Part of her nightly ritual included the simple act of brushing her hair, which could be quite a task in and of itself. Still, in this foreign place with so much chaos around her, it was a pleasantly familiar action and thus, comforting.

Her room in the palace had a vanity table with a mirror, not unlike one she had at home in her own room. She opted for that, then, taking a seat on the cushioned stool and beginning the task of running the brush through her hair. Feeling the strands smooth and untangle beneath her ministrations, hearing the soft crackle of the bristles doing their work…

A simple comfort in simple familiarity. Umi's eyes stayed on her reflection, focusing on her face and the motions her hands were making. It was the most relaxed she had felt since they had come to Cephiro this time around. It was almost an alien feeling.

When the knock came on the door, she closed her eyes and sighed, though it was not an unhappy sigh. She actually felt up to receiving company now and talking with other human beings. Umi turned on her seat and called out, "Yes?"

"Umi?" Fuu's voice came back through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Absolutely," she smiled.

The door opened, and Fuu slipped through, closing it behind her. "I'm not bothering you, am I?" She looked a bit uncertain. "I know you've been—"

"It's okay," Umi nodded. "I'm actually glad for the company."

Fuu crossed the room and took the brush from Umi's hand. "Turn around." When Umi did, Fuu began gently brushing the back of Umi's hair. "I imagine you have trouble reaching the very back."

Umi chuckled. "I did for a while, actually. Just figured out ways around it." She leaned her elbows on the table and sighed, resting her chin in her hands. "Been a while since anyone's played with my hair. I don't trust many people with it." She closed her eyes. "Kagura always did, though…"

"We'll get her back, Umi," Fuu said softly.

Umi was silent a moment. "I don't want to talk about it right now. Let's talk about something…I don't know, maybe something a bit more pleasant than this whole god-awful situation. What's on your mind?"

"Hmm?"

"Come on, Fuu," Umi cajoled. "What's up?"

Fuu sighed, defeated. "Stop reading my mind."

"It's one of my many talents. Now really—what's up? Or can I guess?"

"You'd probably be right."

"Ferio?"

"Exactly," Fuu admitted. Her hands paused in Umi's hair. "I've been…thinking about things a lot lately. And I wanted some advice. You seemed the best person for it, so…here I am."

"What are you thinking about?" Umi prodded.

"Well…" Fuu blushed.

That told Umi volumes. "Things you don't think you should be thinking about?"

"S-something like that…"

Umi stood up and turned to take the brush from Fuu. Laying it on the table, she grabbed Fuu's hands. "Come on. I think we need a girl talk."

In a moment, they were both sprawled on the enormous bed. Fuu sat up by the pillows, her back against the headboard and her knees drawn up to her chest; Umi was laying on her stomach with her feet towards the foot of the bed, her knees bent and her feet crossed at the ankle.

"Should we get Hikaru?" Fuu asked as they settled in.

"I saw her out with Lantis in the garden a little while ago," Umi shook her head. "Glanced down from my balcony. I think she's otherwise occupied." She chuckled. "They've been spending a lot of time together lately."

"What about you and Ascot? You haven't been…well, not quite so much, at least," Fuu pointed out. "Is everything okay between you two?"

"Everything's fine. It's just…" Umi put her chin in her hands and braced her elbows against the mattress. "…I always seem to have so much on my mind. You know how much of a one-track mind I can have when I get stuck on something. And he's too shy to initiate anything when he thinks he's going to bother me. So we keep playing Tag, in a manner of speaking."

"Always chasing, never meeting," Fuu quoted softly.

"I know. It's ridiculous. I really should just do something about it, shouldn't I?" Umi said. She cocked her head to one side. "What do you think Ascot would do if I just pinned him to the wall and kissed the living daylights out of him?"

"I think he would either enjoy it…or he would spontaneously combust on the spot," Fuu replied in a flat voice, prompting a few well-earned giggles.

"Maybe you could try that tactic on Ferio?" Umi waggled her eyebrows.

Fuu blushed furiously. "Th-that's one of the thoughts that has crossed my mind…" She looked mortified.

Umi frowned. "…this is really bothering you, isn't it?"

"Umi…you know I'm not one of 'those girls,' right? You know I don't normally do things I shouldn't. I'm a good girl. I've always been a good girl!" Fuu said in a rush, tilting her head back to look up at the ceiling. "So why am I thinking about things like this?"

"Involving Ferio?"

"Yes…"

"Well…you love him, don't you?" Umi pointed out. "And you so rarely see each other, being from different worlds and all…" She shrugged. "I guess it makes some sense to me that you would want to make as much of the time you have together as you can."

"But that's not really me, is it?" Fuu persisted, then faltered. "I do love him, and like you said, I want to make the most of things…but can I really do…well…things like that?"

Umi couldn't quite help herself. "Maybe there is a bad girl in you after all."

Fuu's blush would have made Rayearth himself envious.

"But now I'm thinking…" Umi rolled over onto her back. "Maybe that's the reason I haven't been a little more…well, forceful is the best word I can think of…about Ascot. Getting so emotionally involved when I know that it's ultimately not going to go anywhere? Unless something changes, I mean." She closed her eyes. "Not doing anyone any favors, am I?"

"It's not easy for any of us," Fuu said. "I'm certain that Hikaru feels the same way."

"Sorry, this conversation is supposed to be about you…" Umi sighed. "I guess what it boils down to is that this is a situation where I really can't tell you what to do. I can listen. But this is really between you and Ferio." She cracked one eye open. "Do you think he's thinking the same thing?"

"He might be…" Fuu said; she leaned her head back against the wall. "It feels different. I just feel like he's thinking about something, and that might be it." A sheepish grin crossed her face. "I sound so silly right, like some lovesick puppy."

"Aren't we all, Fuu?" Umi said with a chuckle. "Aren't we all…"

**_-o-_**

" We just passed over the border into Cephiro," Malia said. "Any sign of it?"

"Nothing yet…and I thought these things were supposed to change into a different form," Kagura commented, glancing down at the serpentine being beneath her. Malia and Galen had been good enough to offer her a ride on this mission. She seemed a bit uncomfortable, sitting on the yellow mashin's head in the open air.

"He does," Malia said; one hand moved to brush a stray strand of dark hair from her forehead. "But he prefers this form, and there is no need yet for his other form. It will come in time. Besides, I rather enjoy the feel of the wind in my hair and the sound of it in my ears."

Both of Kagura's hands moved to the sides of her head to hold her long brown mane back. "You like the sound of it, huh?" she chuckled. Malia was a very kind person. How could she have ever thought that Umi was a better friend than these girls? "What does it sound like?"

"It depends," Malia said, offering a shy smile. "Sometimes it howls. Sometimes it screams. Sometimes it speaks. And every now and then it sings. I like it best when it sings, though."

"Are you two paying attention?" Nairi snapped.

"Of course," Kagura said back, a bit harshly. "Sorilbran said that I would know when we found it."

"Just checking," she replied curtly.

Kagura sighed, annoyed, before turning back to Malia and admitting, "I've never heard the wind sing."

"Then perhaps you are not listening correctly," Malia said knowingly. "It is a beautiful song."

Kagura opened her mouth to reply, but it was lost in a gasp. Her back straightened, and her eyes flared, first illuminating the bright purple that was their normal color, then changing to black. She closed her eyes and gave herself a shake before glancing around. "We're close," she whispered. "We're very, very close." Turning, she called to the others, "Head down! It's nearby!"

As they all began their descent, Malia touched Kagura's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she brushed the hand aside. "Very eager to see this. After all," she smirked, "I'm about to meet my destiny, aren't I? It's exciting." She glanced down towards the ground, which was quickly growing closer, though not at an alarming pace. "I wonder what its name is…"

"I wonder why we're doing this," Cristal interjected. At the questioning looks from Malia and Kagura, she elaborated, "I respect that Kagura needs her partner if she is to be a true Magic Knight. But…it just seems so rushed. And I have the feeling that there's something else going on that we're missing."

"Cristal…" Malia said in a warning tone. "Be careful."

"Make no mistake," Cristal said. "I trust Sorilbran. He has my loyalty." She looked down towards the ground below. "I just wish I knew what exactly he was plotting with all of this."

**_-o-_**

There was a knock on the door. Kannon moved to answer, and found a Guardsman standing outside in the corridor. "Begging the ladies' pardon, but this arrived at the palace today," the man said, bowing and holding out a white box.

Kannon took it. "Is it of importance?"

"Well, sir…" the man fidgeted, suddenly looking nervous. "It is addressed to the Knight of Selece."

In the room behind Kannon, Umi's head snapped around to stare towards the door.

Kannon quickly thanked the man and closed the door, bringing the box into the room and setting it on the table between the girls. "It seems that this is for you, Lady Umi," he said, though there was definite bewilderment in his face and voice.

The box itself was fairly nondescript. It was plain white, with a lid rather than flaps, and a dark blue ribbon tied around it to keep the lid in place. There was a note tied to that ribbon which read _For the Knight of Selece_, just as the Guardsman had said. There were no other identifying marks or traces on the box to indicate a sender.

All in all, it was incredibly suspicious.

"A package delivered to a specific Magic Knight of Cephiro at the Aldarban palace in the midst of strange goings on," Fuu murmured, then shook her head. "I don't like it. I don't like it at all."

"I'm with Fuu," Hikaru piped up. "Umi, you can't open it."

"It might not be my place to say so," Caliana said softly, "but I agree with them."

Umi nodded. "I know. But…we can't just let it sit here. We have to know what's inside it, don't we?" She shifted uncomfortably. "It could be something important…it might be something that can help us."

"Or it could be some horrible trap that will kill all of us," Hikaru pointed out.

"We can't just let it sit here!" Umi argued. "What if it explodes? Or there's a spell? Or…I don't know, some kind of Trojan Horse thing? We have to do something about it!" She ran a hand through her hair and huffed in obvious frustration. She looked like she was about ready to stamp her foot and pout.

Despite the potential seriousness of the situation and Umi's obvious lack of calm at it all, seeing her like that was a fairly good sign. It was Umi acting like herself, rather than the withdrawn persona she had adopted since her confrontation with Kagura.

"I think all of you are right," Michiko spoke up.

There was a communal start in the room as the deceased Knight of Windam appeared near the door. Fuu stood up and regarded her predecessor with a glare. "Don't sneak up on us like that!" she said angrily. "I've had enough heart attacks to last me a while, thank you very much."

"It builds character," Michiko said lightly with a wave of her hand. Behind her, Sachi and Amaya had stepped through the wall (and that remained eerie, no matter how many times they saw the three ghosts do it) joined the group.

"What do you mean, we're all right?" Hikaru asked, confused.

"I mean that we really shouldn't open it because chances are that it'll hurt or kill everyone," Michiko explained. "But we have to open it…because chances are that it'll hurt or kill everyone."

"…it's Schrödinger's Parcel Delivery Service," Fuu moaned, putting one hand to her forehead.

"Oh, for Creator's sake!" Amaya huffed in a manner uncannily similar to Umi's. She moved past her comrades and around to the table on which the box sat. It seemed out of proportion, that something so small and innocent-looking could cause so much trouble. "I'll open it!"

"Amaya—" Sachi started to speak, her tone cautious.

"Why not?" she asked. "It's not like it can hurt me. There are so few spells out there that can hurt spirits that it's not even worth worrying about. It's safer to have me do it. And plus, even if it does somehow manage to hurt me, the rest of you will be safe—especially if Fuu's willing to use her magic to shield it. And you are all far more important to this fight than I am. There's more at stake if something happens to you. I've already died. And besides," she grinned, "it's addressed to me, isn't it?"

"…I still don't like it," Sachi said after a moment. "But when you lay it out like that, it does make the most sense to have one of us three open it." She glanced at Amaya. "If you're volunteering…"

"I already said that I did."

"All right, then everyone else needs to move away," Michiko said, her tone authoritative. There were no arguments allowed. "Girls, come over here. Amaya, take it to the other side of the room. Fuu, if you would be so kind as to cast a shield…"

Fuu nodded, and when everyone had moved into place, she called her magic. "Mamori no Kaze…" The green winds swirled, creating a barrier between them and Amaya.

Michiko cast a glance at Caliana. "Princess, you might want to leave just in case this goes sour."

Caliana hesitated, then shook her head. "I know I should, but I wish to see." Kannon made no verbal comment on that, but moved to stand beside her; one of his hands moved protectively to her shoulder. She glanced back at him. The look that passed between them seemed to speak volumes without a word, and then she turned back to observe the scene. His hand remained firmly on her shoulder.

"Is everyone ready?" Amaya asked.

There was a chorus of nods and murmurs in reply.

"This all seems very melodramatic for something that should be so simple," Fuu commented under her breath. This earned her a poke in the ribs from Umi and a stern look from Michiko. "What?" she replied, voice rising in pitch. "We're opening a box. I mean, I know why we're doing it like this, but…you have to admit that it's a lot of pomp and circumstance for something very mundane."

It was only now that Amaya seemed to hesitate; she frowned and just looked at the box for a moment. But she visibly squared her shoulders and untied the ribbon before lifting the lid on the box.

Everyone tensed.

But nothing happened.

Amaya looked down into the box and frowned again. "What in the world…?" she murmured, reaching down into the package and withdrawing a small sphere, smooth as glass and dark blue in color. It was exactly the right size to sit in the palm of her hand. She regarded it curiously. "How strange."

There was a crackle. Amaya's eyes widened, and she jumped back, startled. The ball fell from her hand to bounce on the rug at her feet. She frowned yet again and started to stoop to pick it up…but froze with her hand reached downwards when the sphere cracked open and smoke began pouring out. She took a step backwards, moving away from what now seemed a very real threat.

Outside the shield, weapons were being drawn. Everyone was at complete attention, fully alert.

As they all watched in horror, the smoke began to take form. It twisted and molded, eventually adopting a human shape. Soon, it began to take on human characteristics. Facial features became evident: a large, hooked nose protruded beneath dark eyes and overhung a sneering mouth, all set into a very fat face. A receding hairline. Clothes…

Before their very eyes, a man appeared. He was short, very rotund, and wore clothes of a style definitely not native to Cephiro, Aldarba, or any of the other lands they knew of in this world. If anything, it resembled the style of garb commonplace in Japan itself, albeit garb from hundreds of years ago. Still, his clothing appeared rich…though there was nothing else pleasant looking about him. His face was ugly, and his expression was leering and horrible.

And to everyone's continuing amazement, the man spoke. His voice was slimy and laden with false sweetness, like someone trying to coax a child into some terrible act. And he was addressing…Amaya? "Come here, little pretty," he said in that sickening tone. "Come to your husband."

Umi glanced around in alarm, her hand tightening on the hilt of her sword. "Who the hell is—" That was as far as she got before she was cut off by a terrible scream, one of the most horrible sounds any of them had ever heard.

The scream came from Amaya.

She was staring at the man, her eyes twice their normal size; she staggered back a couple of steps, never once taking her eyes from the image before her. "N-no…" she breathed. "G-get away…"

Suddenly, the man shot forward. He flew through Amaya, plowing straight through her chest, and vanished into thin air with a last leering cackle.

It seemed like that was the last straw for the Knight of Selece, and she collapsed to the ground, her hands pressed over her ears. She was rapidly flickering in and out of transparency, fading more with each passing second.

The room exploded. Fuu immediately dropped the shield. Michiko and Sachi were on the ground beside her in moments, screaming her name and shaking her. She did not respond at all, seemingly oblivious to the chaos erupting around her.

Umi stood stone still, staring at her predecessor. Who was that man? What had just happened?

But one thing was for certain—Amaya had been right.

The package was addressed to her.

* * *

**PS. **_Hehehe…I liked writing that last part. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TIEM! Well, next chapter. Yes. Next chapter. Which is already in progress. Like I said—summerwrite. Doing 150,000 words in four months. There will be a LOT of work done on this story, possibly leading into the third part of the trilogy. I'm also trying to redo a couple of things on my outline XD So much to do! But anyway, thanks for reading, all! Much love!_


	9. Into the Past

**AN:** I'm going to say up front that this chapter alludes to something that might make some people uncomfortable. There is no specific mention, but I'm disclaiming here that I do not condone any such practices. Hope you enjoy the chapter and finding out who Amaya's mystery "husband" is. I do not own Magic Knight Rayearth.

* * *

**Into the Past**

It was odd to think that a ghost could be as solid as a human. But Amaya, startling enough, was. She was as corpeal as any material item. But she was not responding, and not "awake." Since the man, borne of that strange smoke, had appeared and gone through her, she had not answered to anything. Her form felt solid, but it was lingering in a strange state of semi-transparency.

Perhaps the creepiest part of the whole thing were her eyes. Where a normal person in such a state would be unconscious and asleep, Amaya was definitely not conscious, or whatever you would call this state in a spirit, but her eyes were not closed. They were half-lidded, glazed, and stared forward unseeing. There was no light at all in those blue eyes.

She looked dead, for lack of a better (or less ironic) word.

"What exactly does this mean?" Fuu asked quietly. She was standing in the doorway with Michiko beside her, watching the scene. There wasn't a great deal to watch, really; the only movement was Umi, sitting on the edge of the bed and paging through a book. Somehow, Fuu doubted that Umi was actually reading a word of it.

"She's in a state of suspended animation, I suppose is the easiest way to put it," Michiko said. "The spell was aimed at her, very specifically. There's no question about that." Her tone hardened. "Your enemy is smart, brightling. Very, very smart. He knew exactly what he was doing and who he was targeting. This was no mistake. He knew perfectly well that we would not let Umi open that box. He knew that Amaya would be the one to do it. That's why the package was addressed to her in the first place."

Her eyes were glittering in a way that Fuu had not seen before; the fury, barely contained beneath her usual calm, seemed very out of place for the woman. "And he attacked her as she tried to protect Umi. Like it was some kind of joke to him."

Fuu was silent a moment before she risked a question. "Michiko…that man. Who was it?"

There was no verbal reply to her question, but Michiko's expression changed ever so slightly, just enough to betray that she knew something, and whatever that something was, she definitely did not want to share it.

Now secure that she was on the right track, Fuu turned to face her predecessor fully. "Michiko, you say that you know Amaya was the specific target. It has to be because of the man from the smoke. He was someone Amaya knew, wasn't he?" She thought desperately, trying to remember. "He was wearing old Japanese clothes—that's from Earth. And he called himself her husband. They don't use that word in Cephiro—Lantis didn't know what the word marriage meant. And even if they did, Amaya and Clef were together. That man sounded like someone from Earth, which means he has to be someone from Amaya's past. Now who was he, Michiko?"

Michiko was silent for a moment longer. Then she turned to look at Fuu with a surprisingly tired expression. "…I do know who the man was. Or rather, I can make a very educated guess, and I suspect that I would be right. But I won't tell you that…" She glanced down at the floor. "I won't tell you because it's not my story to tell, Fuu."

Fuu said nothing, sensing that Michiko wasn't done yet.

"Amaya's story is her own," Michiko went on. "She told us about her life on Earth once, after we had settled in Cephiro. And she never spoke of it again. But what happened to her…she was very badly hurt. I don't think she fully trusted us even after we had accomplished our mission. It was a long time. The cheerful Amaya you all know so well was a long time in making."

Her expression continued to speak volumes, and again Fuu decided to take a risk and ask a potentially dangerous question. "Michiko…I'd guess that you're no stranger to rough lives either, are you?"

To her surprise, Michiko chuckled. "None of us had happy lives on Earth, brightling. And we all know each other's stories. But at the end of the day, they are our stories to share and no one else's. I know it, but I will not tell it." She glanced at Fuu, rather hopefully. "You understand?"

Fuu smiled and nodded. "Of course I do. I should have thought of it myself." She looked back to Amaya. "So what should we do? How do we pull her out of this? I imagine that normal medical procedures wouldn't work, given that she's…well…dead."

"I—" Michiko started to speak, but she was cut off.

"I'll wake her up," Umi said suddenly, interrupting their conversation. She was on her feet and standing beside Amaya's bed, a determined look on her face. "I'm going to wake Amaya up."

"Umi, I don't think that's a good idea," Sachi's voice, unusually high-pitched and nervous, came from behind the two Knights of Windam in the doorway. She and Hikaru had joined them there, apparently just in time to hear Umi's words.

"Well, we can't just stand here," Umi protested. "She and I are connected. We always have been, both by blood and by our mashin. Besides, she's like this because of me!" One hand ran through her bangs in a classic gesture that belied nerves. "I can do this with Selece's help, I know it. It's the only way."

Without waiting for any further protests, she reached down and clasped Amaya's hand.

She heard a loud masculine voice shouting the word "Wait!" in her head, and recognized it as Selece.

And that was the last thing she knew before the world spun around her.

**_-o-_**

The world came back into focus with agonizing slowness.

Umi found herself sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Or rather, a floor and a wall, in a strange room. She did not recognized the scene. The floor beneath her was smooth, bare wood, void of any rugs or other coverings, and the wall was the same.

When she could see the room around her without having to squint, she realized that the architecture was both alien and familiar at the same time. It took her a moment to realize why that was: she had seen it before, but not in person. She had seen it in pictures and history books.

This was a Japanese home, in a very old architectural style.

She slowly climbed to her feet and looked around, searching for any clue as to where she was. This particular room was large, but very empty. There was nothing to indicate where, or when, she was. But she heard voices nearby, and she followed them.

Tracing the voices led her to a door at the far end of the room. As she put her hand to the door, it occurred to her that this was probably someone's home, and she was an intruder. She could get in big trouble. And depending on when exactly she was (at this point, she wasn't taking anything for granted), it would be potentially more difficult, as she was wearing modern clothing, the garb of a college student unexpectedly stirred from bed without the opportunity to change.

Still, she was here to find out what had happened to Amaya and who that man was, and so she had to see this through. Selece was her anchor; she could still feel the mashin's present, however faint, in the very back of her mind. He was there with her, and that was a very comforting feeling. As long as that little aura was sitting in that little corner of her brain, she was not alone, and she could make it through just about anything.

She also belatedly realized that she was wearing her armor and ovum-gem. That meant that she was armed with both blade and magic. All of this added together to give her confidence, and she gingerly peered through a crack in the door, looking into the room to find the source of the voices.

There were two people in the room—a young girl and a woman.

Umi studied the woman for a moment. She was of approximately middle age, dark hair already flecked with gray. Her hair was styled into an old-fashioned bun, with a fan-shaped ornament pinned to one side. She was not so much beautiful as handsome, and her face bore some signs of aging. She wore a kimono, a deep burgundy in color with a pink obi at her waist.

That seemed off, somehow. A glance across the room gave her a view out an open window. She saw clear spring skies. Umi tried to remember: weren't spring kimonos usually lighter, brighter colors? Or was that more of a modern tradition? But if it wasn't a modern invention, then the kimono she was wearing wasn't the right color for the season.

…which could mean any number of things, really. But it was interesting to note.

Then Umi turned her attention to the girl. She guessed the girl to be perhaps eleven or twelve years old, still very young. It was doubtful that she was more than thirteen years of age. She was very pretty, with dark hair twisted up into a beautiful, complex style, and wide eyes set into a lovely oval face.

Even though she only saw the girl in profile, there was no mistaking her. Umi knew that face.

It was Amaya.

Without consciously intending to do so, Umi leaned into the door…and started as she stepped right through it, stumbling into the room. She tensed, expecting them to raise a fuss…but neither of the two seemed to notice her presence. Feeling greatly daring, Umi took a step into the room, and then another, and another. Soon she stood beside the woman, and still she drew no comment or alarm.

The only logical conclusion that Umi could draw was that they could not see her.

Which meant that she did not have to be stealthy.

Secure in this new knowledge, she moved right up to the girl and got a good look at her. It was Amaya, there was absolutely no doubt. The hair was exactly the same shade, and she imagined that when it was worn down and free, the waves would fall around her shoulders in the same manner. Her face was the same in both shape and skin tone, though it still held a certain quality of youth and innocence that would be lost to her in a few short years.

She also wore a kimono; hers was blue, though the bright color and cheery yellow obi seemed far more appropriate to the season than the one worn by the woman.

But the most compelling evidence were her eyes. There was no mistaking them. They were the same bright blue color as Umi's own. But they were very wide and shone with clear innocence. This was an Amaya who had not yet seen the terrors of battle, or known the pain of taking a Pillar's life. She was young and fresh and unblemished.

…and she was looking straight through Umi with those same eyes. It was a bit disconcerting.

In some ways, it was hard to align this girl with the sharp, sarcastic Magic Knight she had come to know as her ancestor and predecessor. The Magic Knight was easily one of the strongest people Umi had ever met, a stark contrast to this fragile-looking child.

Still, they were having a conversation now. It was probably best for her to pay attention.

"It is exciting," the woman said with a smile that felt strangely false.

"But Aunt," Amaya said, "I do not understand."

"Oh, it is simple, child," the woman said airily. "You are to be married!"

Watching as closely as she was, there was no missing the flicker of something that ran across Amaya's face at that. It was somewhere between alarm, disgust, and fear. She was obviously not pleased by this decision. "Married?" she asked, her tones soft and polite while her hands clutched at the sleeves of her kimono. "But Aunt, to who? I have not met—"

"You will meet him soon, Amaya," the woman said, unknowingly eradicating whatever lingering doubts might have existed regarding the girl's identity. She waved a hand. "Now go and prepare yourself to meet your husband." Amaya hesitated, and a flicker of anger flashed across her aunt's eyes. "Now."

The girl turned and hurried from the room, walking right past Umi and out into the room she had initially woken up in. Alarmed, Umi cast a glance back at the woman before following Amaya; she found the girl standing just outside the door, leaning against the wall. She was staring straight ahead, her face a complete mask.

She stood there for several minutes, unaware that she was not alone. And as she straightened and took a single step to follow her aunt's instructions, voices came again from the room. One Umi recognized as the aunt. The other was male, and immediately sent a shiver through Umi. She and Amaya both stayed perfectly still and listened to the conversation.

It didn't take long for Umi to realize what they were discussing. The man was apparently Amaya's husband. They both heard the two in the room talk furtively of price, of payment and closing some sort of deal, and in short order the pieces fell into place.

Amaya was being sold.

A glance at the girl proved that she had come to the same conclusion. She was staring at the closed door in unmistakable horror. She clutched at her kimono for a moment, glancing around (still not seeing Umi) and finally turned to hurry away.

"Amaya, it's going to be…" Umi reached out, unable to contain herself any longer…and found that her hand passed right through the girl's shoulder. Umi herself nearly fell flat on her face, both from surprise and from being thrown off-balance at her hand meeting empty air instead of solid flesh.

She righted herself quickly and looked at the girl's retreating back. Amaya didn't seem to have even noticed that anything was wrong or that anything of this nature had just happened around her. Her face was still blank save for eyes that spoke volumes of fear and despair.

So this meant…

Umi was like a ghost here. If these were Amaya's memories, then Umi had not existed at this time. It was potentially hundreds of years earlier. She had not been present at this discussion when it happened. Ergo, now she was an invisible intruder. She had realized this earlier, when she had wandered into the conversation and found herself unnoticed by the two talking.

Discussing Amaya's marriage and her new husband…

Umi stood there, at a complete loss. Her mind wandered back to things she had heard before. Back when she had first met Amaya during the confrontation with Xander and Amaya had explained the entire situation, she had commented that none of the three original Magic Knights had been blessed with happy lives on Earth, and so after the Pillar's death, they had asked to stay in Cephiro and had their wishes granted.

And back in the room, where Amaya's ghost was lingering in that strange state of suspended animation, she had sat there and overheard a conversation between Fuu and Michiko, in which Michiko had restated that fact. Amaya's story was not a pleasant one, and it was nothing she spoke of or cared to share. If this was what she had lived through…

It was no wonder that she had begged the Creator to let her stay in Cephiro.

Rage began to burn deep inside Umi, and she glared at the door. How dare these people do such a thing? She stormed towards the door, and again passed right through it. She wanted to yell at these people, to scream and make noise and any number of other things. The idea of threats involving her sword or magic even flickered through her mind, though she knew she would not do that unless directly threatened. And none of it would do any good, but she had to do something!

All that died when she took a good look at the man.

She immediately recognized the fat, ugly features as the man who had been formed in the smoke, courtesy of that gift addressed to the Knight of Selece. He was even wearing the same hideous leer he had sported when he had instructed Amaya to come to her husband.

It was him.

The spell in that box had thrown at Amaya a vision from one of the worst moments of her life.

Umi heard the door open behind her, and then the world spun again…

**_-o-_**

It took some effort, but Umi managed to open her eyes a mere crack.

Immediately, a number of faces swam into her limited view above her amidst a chorus of voices calling her name and hands pulling at her and touching her, all trying to coax and lead her back to the full world of consciousness. She swam against the current, trying to reach those voices.

Finally, she was able to reach out and clasp at one of those hands, and it squeezed her hand back in turn. And she opened her eyes fully, and found herself staring up at two Knights of Rayearth, two Knights of Windam, one Aldarban Princess, and one Guard Captain, all watching her with no little worry and no shortage of alarm. There was a murmur of voices, saying her name and breathing sighs of relief.

With a little further effort, Umi sat up and looked at her friends through glazed eyes. "What happened?"

Fuu was in front of her, putting her hands on Umi's shoulders. "You touched Amaya's hand and passed out, right onto the bed. Rayearth told us not to move you. We've just been waiting for you to wake up and tell us what happened."

Umi nodded and looked up at Michiko. "I…I saw it."

The deceased Knight of Windam flinched. "I thought you would. Selece was not pleased that you—"

"I know. But…I saw what happened to Amaya," she looked down at the floor. "…you were right. It is a horrible story." She shook her head. "I can't believe that she lived through that…I can't even imagine what it must have…" Umi gave herself a hard shake and looked up. "I saw the day where she spoke with her aunt. And I saw that man. He was horrible."

"What happened to her, exactly?" Hikaru asked.

"She's trapped in a memory," Umi replied. "One of the worst days of her life. I think she's reliving it, over and over again. I don't think she knows she's in a memory." She shivered. "It felt real to me, and it wasn't even about me…"

"So what do you think we need to do?" Fuu asked.

"I don't think she can break out of this herself," Umi said. "It's too real. She's probably been tricked into believing that it is reality, and so it would never occur to her that she could get out of it. So I think I need to figure out a way to contact her. If I can reach her in the dream…maybe I can pull her out of it."

"So you're going back into the dream, then?" Sachi spoke up now.

Umi nodded firmly. "Yes. I am." She glanced down at Amaya, and had to suppress a shudder at the site of those lifeless, half-open eyes. The look was creepy, there was no other way to describe it. "It's my fault that she's like this. And I think I'm the only one who can wake her up. So…let me go back in again. I'll find a way to reach her. I'll bring her back." She looked back up at her friends and smiled. "Trust me, guys. It's a promise."

The others reluctantly agreed. Hikaru spoke up again with one final warning. "Umi, please be careful."

"I will," she couldn't help but smile and throw Hikaru a wink. "I promise."

Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she again pressed her hand to Amaya's, and reeled as the world spun around her, twirling downwards once again into the darkness that would take her back to that place and that horrible day buried deep in Amaya's mind.

**_-o-_**

_Back into the dream…_

Umi glanced around. It was the same as before. She was in the same empty room in the same home, hearing the same voices through the door. Standing up, she crept back over to the door and peered inside. It was the same two women wearing the same kimonos having the same discussion in the same whispered tones.

In short, Umi felt like she was watching a video on replay.

"It is exciting," the aunt said, still wearing that false smile.

Amaya was startled. "But Aunt, I do not understand."

That airy tone. "Oh, it is simple, child. You are to be married!"

That same flash of emotion across Amaya's face. "Married? But Aunt, to who? I have not met—"

"You will meet him soon, Amaya," the aunt replied, her tone just as brusque as before. "Now go and prepare yourself to meet your husband." Again, Amaya hesitated, and again her aunt's temper seemed to flare at the perceived disobedience. "Now."

And once again, Amaya fled the room before this command.

Umi followed, and as before she found Amaya standing in the next room, leaning against the wall. Her face was expressionless, and her eyes spoke what her voice could not. Though by now Umi was wondering if Amaya's voice had ever been heard.

Seeing it again left Umi with so many questions. If Amaya's aunt was the one deciding her horrible fate in this manner, then it seemed that her aunt was the one raising her. What had happened to Amaya's parents, then? How had her aunt become her caregiver? And why would she do something so horrible to her niece like this?

The only one who could answer these questions for Umi now was…

She had to reach her, somehow.

If she was seeing the same dream again, she pondered, then perhaps it meant that Amaya was trapped within this one memory. It was like a CD being played with one track on repeat, the same thing playing over and over again until someone pushed the stop button, or chose a new song.

Umi was determined to hit the stop button on this nightmare.

_Selece…I might need your help for this,_ she thought. _Help me reach her if you can._ She felt that presence stir in the back of her mind, and smiled. It was a comforting constant. Thus far, Umi's presence had not been noticed in the dream. But the fact remained that they were inside Amaya's head and Amaya's memories, and Amaya herself was still connected to Selece.

"Amaya…" she said the girl's name, hoping desperately that she would somehow be heard.

No response.

"Amaya, please!" she said, voice rising in pitch.

Still nothing. The girl was straightening up now as the voices inside the room began to grow louder, discussing the terms of their agreement. They talked of the price that horrible man would pay for a living, feeling girl…as though they were two merchants conversing over the price of fish.

"Amaya, you have to hear me!" Umi begged. _Selece, I have to get through to her…_

Amaya started to turn away.

"AMAYA!"

When she still got no response, Umi's shoulders slumped in frustration and despair. It was no good, no good at all. She let out a sound that was half sigh and half sob. There had to be a way, but she didn't know what that way was—

Selece's presence surged in her mind—

"W-who are you?"

Umi's head snapped back to stare at the girl…and found that the girl was staring right back at her. Amaya's eyes were enormous and fearful, and she was taking slow steps backwards. One hand clutched protectively at the neckline of her kimono.

"I…you can see me?" Umi gaped.

"Who are you?" Amaya repeated the question, her voice shaking. "Where did you come from?"

After a second, Umi relaxed and smiled. She was in. Now was her chance. "My name is Umi. It's all right, I'm not going to hurt you." She didn't move towards Amaya, though. Not yet. No sense frightening the poor girl anymore than she already was.

"Leave, or I will call my aunt," she said in a warning tone.

Umi shook her head and spoke gently. "No one else can see or hear me. Only you." She didn't know if that was the truth or not. "Because I'm a friend, and I'm here to help you, Amaya."

"How do you know my name?" Amaya demanded.

"Because I know you. As I said, I'm a friend, and I want to help you," she stooped a little to be closer to Amaya's eye-level. "This is a dream, Amaya. You're inside one of your own memories. I want to help you wake up from this nightmare."

"A d-dream?"

"Do you want to stay here with them?" she gestured towards the door, beyond which were the aunt and prospective groom. "You know what they're discussing. You're a very smart girl, and you're scared of them. You have every right to be afraid. Or you could come with me and leave this place."

For the first time, a glimmer of trust shone in those blue eyes. "L-leave here?" she whispered. "I will not have to m-marry him?" She took a step towards Umi, probably not even realizing that she was doing so.

Umi shook her head, deciding not to go into the truth of the matter—that Amaya had been forced to marry, and that this was simply a shadow of what had been. It was far too complicated, and too much to explain. "You won't have to marry him," she smiled and held out a hand. "If you come with me."

"What will happen if I do go with you?" Amaya asked. One shaky hand was already reaching towards Umi's outstretched one. It seemed that the prospect of this marriage frightened her more than anything she could imagine happening if she went with this stranger.

"You'll wake up," Umi said. "Just take my hand, and I'll get you out of here." Something struck her then, and she smiled, remembering. "I'll take you out of this darkness, Amaya, and back to the light…"

Amaya's hand came to rest in Umi's own, warm and solid.

"…just like you did for me."

**_-o-_**

When Umi opened her eyes this time, the faces of her friends were still hovering over her, but they seemed a bit less worried this time. She sat up and shook off the last strains of fatigue before stretching her arms over her head. "How long was I out?"

"About ten minutes," Fuu said. "You were unconscious a lot longer the first time. What happened?"

"I think I got through—"

Umi's reply was cut off by a scream, and she was nearly thrown from the bed as Amaya surged off the bed, winding up sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed. She was wide-eyed and semi-transparent, but conscious and obviously fully awake. She glanced around frantically, her eyes finally resting on her teammates. "M-Michiko…Sachi…" she whispered, voice high and thin.

The two other ghosts were on their knees beside her in an eyeblink, frantic with worry. But after a moment, Amaya managed to get back onto the bed with the help of her friends, where she curled up and looked around; her eyes still held a blank quality to them.

Eventually, her gaze lighted on Umi. "You…" she said softly. "You were in my head."

"I wanted to wake you up," Umi said. She suddenly felt very self-conscious about what she had done.

Amaya looked down. "Then…you saw. You saw it."

"Yes. I did."

After a moment, Amaya sighed. "I suppose it can't be helped. Everyone please sit. I have a story to tell you." She kept her eyes down, not looking at anyone. Michiko sat on the bed next to her, putting an encouraging hand on Amaya's shoulder.

"…when I was eight years old, my parents died," Amaya began after a pregnant pause. "We were not nobility, but we were wealthy. They went out that night, to a tea house. I overheard conversations about it later, when they thought I was out of earshot. My parents weren't the only visitors that night, and one of the other guests had some rather powerful enemies. The building was set on fire, and my parents were caught in the inferno."

She hesitated, then went on. "I was placed in the care of my aunt, my only living relative. My father left his fortune behind. But my aunt wasn't exactly the most scrupulous character you could find. She enjoyed money and high living. And so she ran up a good many debts. I don't think she ever realized that I was aware of any of this. But I knew."

"So who was that man?" Hikaru asked.

"When I was thirteen, my aunt sent for me and informed me that I was to be married," Amaya continued. "It was a shock, to say the least. She sent me away to prepare myself for my husband. I stood in the hallway and listened. Long story short…she sold me. For enough money to cover her debts, and then some." Her fingers toyed absently with the blanket on the bed. "The man you saw from that spell…that was him. Or his image. And he was as horrible as he appeared. We were married before the sun set that day, and…well…"

"Oh my god…" Fuu murmured.

"Two years," she said. "I spent two years in hell at his hands. Please don't ask me to go into details. I've spent so many years trying to forget what happened to me there. He was very rich, and I had everything I could possibly need…but chains of gold are still chains. I was a prisoner." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Two years there…"

"And you escaped when you came to Cephiro…?" Fuu prodded gently.

"It was only a few days before my fifteenth birthday," Amaya said. "There was a bright flash of light that lit up the entire sky…and then I was somewhere else. I was in a different world, and there were two others there with me. And a man appeared and told me—told us, rather—that we were needed to save their world." She sighed. "It was the first time anyone had ever said that I was needed."

Sachi spoke up. "That wasn't easy, was it? Not for any of us." She chuckled, though there was no real merriment in the sound. "You three are very lucky. Happy homes. Families who care about you. Friends who will watch your back. We had none of that. And it made it very difficult."

"It wasn't easy for us, either…" Hikaru murmured. Her expression suggested that she felt guilty even saying it in the face of Amaya's story and the horrors she must have lived through.

"It was difficult for you," Sachi said gently. "But when the three of you came here and met each other for the first time, did you have any real troubles growing to trust each other?" The three shook their heads, and Sachi nodded. "That's what I expected. You realized very quickly that you were allies and would watch out for each other. We didn't have that. None of us really knew how to trust anyone."

"And if my own family would sell me out like that," Amaya broke in, "why should I expect strangers to show me any kindness? I didn't think the world could possibly work that way. Fortunately, I have since learned that it is possible."

Now she tilted her head back a bit to look up towards the window. "When we killed the Pillar…by that time, we had learned to work together, though we were all fairly distrustful of anyone else. And the Creator appeared. We begged him not to send us back. First of all, none of us wanted to go back to our hellish lives on Earth. Two, we actually were starting to feel like we could really do some good in Cephiro. Be important. Be needed. And finally…by that time, we couldn't stand the thought of being separated. And Creator granted our wish."

"But…you eventually fell for Clef, didn't you?" Fuu asked.

Amaya smiled now, the first time she had done so in the course of this conversation. "Yes. I did. But I had been in Cephiro for quite some time by then. And it took a fair amount of time before I trusted him enough to agree to anything." She closed her eyes. "It wound up being one of the best decisions I ever made, and I regret nothing of that."

Michiko rubbed Amaya's back. "Perhaps sometime I will tell you my story as well. But not tonight, little ones." She glanced directly at Fuu. "There has been too much sadness in this room for one day. Amaya is all right. Let's talk of something more pleasant for now, shall we?"

**_-o-_**

It was night, and the forest was like something out of a horror movie, large and looming and dark. The shadows cast their illusions on the ground and on the tree trunks, creating the illusions of ghosts and spirits moving amidst the trees. It brought to mind the supernatural celebrations of Halloween, and the parties attended by the will-o-the-whisps as they played on their one night of freedom amidst the living.

Kagura glanced about. Not too long ago, this sort of a setting would have frightened her. She would have cowered from the shadows, and perhaps even fled before the unseen horrors that she perceived to be lurking just beyond the realm of her sight.

But now, she was unafraid. The darkness did not scare her, and the shadows held no terror for her now. She was in control of these shadows. They bowed to her will now, not the other way around.

Before her stood a large, gaping hole in the ground, a cavern that seemed to stretch down into the very darkest reaches of hell itself. This was it. Her destiny had brought her to this godforsaken place to seek her partner. By what she was about to do, she would claim her truest destiny.

The time had come.

Her eyes were glowing black, and she reached out a hand. "Come to me," she intoned.

There was a moment of complete stillness.

Then a noise stirred from deep within the pit. It sounded like something growling, accompanied by a sound like claws scraping over dirt and rock. And then the shadows at the bottom of the neverending hole shifted and uncurled…

And as Kagura watched, an enormous black shape floated from the hole, hovering in front of her. Before her eyes, it began to unfold and take actual form. She held her hand out to the creature, and it moved towards her until her fingers touched its nose.

Kagura smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you…Tynan."

**_-o-_**

_Unbeknownst to them, something far away was stirring. It uncoiled for the first time in eons and stretched, clawing at the expanse of open sky above it. At long last, it had been released._

_Untamed._

_Free._

_And very, very angry._

* * *

**PS. **_I've known Amaya's backstory for quite a long time. I also have ones for Sachi and Michiko, and theirs will come out, one way or another, before this trilogy is wrapped up. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading, all! Much love!_


	10. Names

**AN: **Blargh…moving sucks…just thought you all should know that. Was hoping to have this done a lot sooner, but as previously stated, moving sucks. So here's a new chapter either way. I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth. They belong to the good folks of CLAMP.

**Names**

"Whoever our enemy is," Umi remarked as she drew her sword, "they need new writers. Good grief, can we get any less original? How many times does this make that they've done a frontal attack on the capital city or on us directly? Honestly…"

"I agree. It is getting rather tedious. But it doesn't change the fact that we have to go out and do something about it," Fuu countered. "So let's go get this over with." Fuu was actually rather annoyed at the impromptu call to arms. It seemed that she could not get a single moment alone with Ferio. Every single time they were sure they could have a moment just between the two of them, there was an attack or some matter needed Ferio's attention or someone walked in and interrupted…

It was, to say the least, extremely frustrating. Even Fuu, who usually had the patience of an angel and the overall temperment of a saint, was starting to see red. She wasn't asking for anything outrageous, was she? Just a few minutes with the man she loved!

But there was no more time to think about it. They had a job to do. Three cried words transformed them into three beams of colored light and summoned three legendary beings to join with the Magic Knights to take to the skies and fight on behalf of themselves and their allies.

The monsters in question appeared to be the same as before: big, hulking creatures, dark gray in color, with claws and teeth that looked more at home hanging out of a walrus' mouth than anywhere else. And so they assumed that this meant another quick battle, as they had beaten these things before. Unless something had changed very dramatically, this was not much of a chore.

But as things tend to do, the three girls were in for a surprise.

They arrived on the battlefield and drew their swords…

And the lumpy gray beasts disappeared, vanishing into wafts of black smoke.

"…what just happened?" Hikaru piped up, glancing around. "They're really gone?"

"It looks that way," Umi said, eyes narrowing. This sudden change in the status quo gave her a very bad feeling, and she was on fullest alert. Something bad was about to happen.

"Fuu, what do you think?" Hikaru asked quietly.

Fuu opened her mouth to reply—

—and was promptly cut off when Hikaru screamed in pain as a barrage of ice shards materialized out of nowhere in a manner that reminded all three of them instantly of Alcyone. The spears sliced into both Rayearth and, by connection, his Knight, sending them both careening towards the ground. Deep gashes appeared on Hikaru's arms and body, and there was blood…

They caught themselves before they hit the ground (though it was still a close call) and steadied themselves in the air. Hikaru was wincing violently, but she managed a weak smile at her teammates. "G-good thing my outfit's red, huh?" she joked, panting heavily.

"Quite the comedian, aren't you?"

This female voice came out of nowhere; it was unfamiliar, and as warm and friendly as the shards of ice that had nearly skewered Hikaru.

The Knight of Rayearth looked up, and found herself face to face with a large gray mashin. She could see the girl inside of it, but was unable to make out any features; she assumed that to be the one who had commented on her joke. The mashin was holding a sword that looked to be chiseled out of diamond; it took Hikaru a moment to piece together that it was probably a sword cast in ice.

Somehow, she doubted it would melt easily.

Rayearth's voice rang in her ears, startling her as he boomed out a single word. **_"Hadrian…"_**

_Hadrian?_ Hikaru blinked. _Is that its name?_

She didn't have much time to ponder the mystery, though, as the mysterious new mashin—Hadrian, she decided it must be called—lifted its sword and attacked. She drew her own sword and just managed to block the assault. Immediately she was on the defensive as the next blow fell. This mashin (and by default, she assumed, his Knight) were strong. Hikaru was in pain, but she had no other options at the moment. She had to fight.

Hikaru's teammates weren't just sitting on their thumbs, though. There hadn't been much they could do when the ice-storm hit, as they were just as off-guard as Hikaru had been. But when the mashin appeared and attacked, Umi drew her own sword and started to fly down to help. If this stranger was going to ambush them, they had better be prepared for all three Magic Knights—

—the ground itself shifted—

—and Umi let out a yelp of surprise as the earth itself surged and rose up to grab her, catching Selece's ankle and dragging her down. They crashed into the ground, and found that they were being held by fingers made of the very living dirt and rock. At this rate, they would be buried, and quickly.

It took some effort and an iron-will exercise of her magic, but it turned out that mud did not possess as solid a grip as dirt, and she and Selece broke free to face their own attacker: a large being—a mashin, dark brown in color.

**_"Damek…"_** Umi heard Selece's voice, and that was all before she and Selece counterattacked.

Now the only one of her team unengaged, Fuu was wavering as to who she should assist first, but her attention was drawn away by a streak of lightning that shot through the air in front of her. Strangely enough, it was far enough away from her that she knew it had not been intended to hit her; the one who controlled the storms had hit Umi while she was moving. And as moving targets were far harder to hit, it stood to reason that her opponent-to-be was far too good a shot to have missed her like that when she was a perfectly stationary target.

She looked up, and sure enough, there was a shadow moving above the clouds. And Fuu was willing to lay money that she knew who was up there. "Windam…let's go," she whispered, trying to steel herself for whatever was to happen. Together, mashin and Magic Knight surged upwards through the clouds, breaking into the sky and what was undoubtedly to be their battlefield.

The being before her was definitely a mashin, golden yellow in color. To Fuu's eyes, there was no mistaking it: it was the serpent she had seen before. Which meant that the girl was there as well, probably resting inside the being just as Fuu herself sat inside Windam. A closer look proved her right; she could see the girl's outline nestled within the heart of her mashin.

Before she could venture a question, the being attacked with lightning, and Fuu defended herself with wind. There were no swords used in their fight, and as a result, their magic roared across the heavens, the vengeance of an angry storm god. They were evenly matched, and neither gained an upper hand.

After a time, both fell back in a momentary respite.

Fuu took advantage of the standstill to call out to her opponent. "Wait! Who are you? Who are you working for?" The words echoed in the space between them, and she wondered if her enemy could even hear her. Or if she heard the words, would she answer?

To her surprise, the girl replied, and her words were as clear as if they were standing in the same room; this had to be because of the mashin. "My name is Malia," she said. "I am the Knight of Galen."

Galen…that was the mashin's name, then. "I am Fuu," she replied, feeling a strange obligation to do so. "The Knight of Windam. It's nice to finally have a name for you. But why are you doing this?"

"As before, I am acting under orders," Malia said with that same calm.

And she attacked again.

The rest of Fuu's questions were lost as they began their fight anew. As before, neither gained the upper hand over the other. They were even matched in power and skill, and it seemed that they could fight like this forever and never choose a victor. The only question Fuu really needed an answer to was who Malia was taking orders from—that person, it seemed, was their true enemy. And these three, along with their mysterious commander, undoubtedly had a strong hand in Kagura's change of heart.

But their fight was abruptly stopped when another voice interrupted. This one was male and authoritative, and rolled across the sky like thunder, eclipsing all other sounds. "RETURN TO MY SIDE."

Immediately, Malia and the mashin called Galen fell back. Fuu was startled enough to do the same. "W-wait!" she called out. "Who are you—" She stopped when they turned to leave in accordance with the order given by the male voice.

But Fuu was surprised when Malia turned back slightly. She paused, seeming to hesitate, and then said a single word, a name: "Sorilbran." And with that, she vanished, taking off across the sky as fast as the lightning she had the power to control.

**_-o-_**

"What was that?" Hikaru asked, giving her arm an experimental stretch and happily finding it free from pain, courtesy of a touch of Fuu's healing magic. "That was insane."

Umi turned and winced as the motion unintentioally jostled an injury. "I don't know what it was…" she managed to say the words relatively calmly, though her face was pale and tight with pain. She had fought one hell of a fight against the one who had attacked her, an uphill battle. "But I say they're cowards. Ambushing us like that…that's the only reason that thing got the upper hand like that."

"Hold still," Fuu ordered; she sounded tired, but she still raised a hand and used her magic. The green wind washed over Umi, and where it touched, her injuries vanished and her wounds mended themselves. That done, she sat back and unceremoniously flopped onto her bed. "I'm sorry that I'm not more social, but my head is spinning."

Hikaru bounced over and sat down on the bed beside her reclining friend, opting to flop onto her stomach. "You saw that girl again, right? Did you find out anything else about her or anything else?"

"Her name is Malia. Her mashin is Galen. And she is working for someone named Sorilbran," Fuu rattled off the three names she had gleaned from their short encounter. "We fought. We're fairly balanced in terms of power and skill. Her power…" Fuu frowned; she had been thinking on this for a while. "Her primary attack uses lightning, but if she is also controlling those clouds, then I think her power seems to be over storms or weather. But most important is that name she gave me. Sorilbran…"

"Maybe we could ask Caliana? Or Amaya?" Hikaru suggested. "Maybe they know?"

"Amaya hasn't been showing herself much lately," Umi said quietly. It was true; since the mysterious gift and Umi's subsequent journey into Amaya's mind and memories, the deceased Knight of Selece had made herself quite scarce. There were any number of reasons for this, and whatever the case was, Umi did not feel that it was her place to seek out or question. "But we could ask Caliana."

"What I can't figure out," Fuu said, propping herself up on her elbows, "is why that girl, Malia, would tell us anything at all. What possible benefit could there be for her to even give us that name? Is it some sort of a trap? Or is she actually trying to help us?"

"She attacked us repeatedly, and she kidnapped Umi," Hikaru said with a frown. "If she's trying to help us, she's got a really weird way of doing it. Because where I come from, zapping someone with lightning and dropping them into a tornado is hurting, not helping. Like…the poster-child of not helping."

"Maybe it is a trap," Umi said, tackling the other idea Fuu had thrown out. "Lull us into a false sense of security, as melodramatic as it sounds? Or as they say in the old mystery novels, could it be a red herring and have absolutely nothing to do with what's going on? Given what's happened with them so far, I don't think we can really write off any possibilities until we have more information."

"I think we need to find out who Sorilbran is," Fuu said. "It's a clue, regardless of how good or bad of a clue it is. Either way, it's a starting place." She sat upright and leaned her head back, looking up at the ceiling. "But it's still bothering me. Every single time I've seen that girl—that I've seen Malia, I should say—something about her has seemed really, really off. And I can't place what it is. But I feel like it's something important." She closed her eyes. "What am I missing?"

"You've said that before—about something seeming wrong about her," Umi pointed out. "Just relax, take a deep breath, and try not to think about it too much. You're smart, Fuu. If it's really important, it'll come to you sooner or later." She put a hand on Fuu's shoulder. "In the meantime, let's just see what we can find out about this Sorilbran character. And maybe…" her expression grew more somber, "maybe we'll find out if he has anything to do with what happened to Kagura."

No matter what else happened in this fiasco, Umi would not forget about her friend. And she would not forget her promise and her mission to find out what had happened to Kagura, and save her from whatever dark fate it was that loomed before her. Especially if that fate concerned a mashin and a sword cast of Escudo.

**_-o-_**

Sorilbran looked up as Nairi stormed in, looking as furious as any of them had ever seen her. She marched right up to him, bobbing her head in a respectful bow before she spoke. "Lord Sorilbran," she said, tone wavering with restrained anger, "why did you stop us? Why did you not let us fight?" Behind her, Cristal and Malia watched and waited for the reply.

"Because, my dear Nairi," he replied calmly, seemingly unfazed by her fury, "I wanted to see the strength of those three vipers, and to make them aware that whatever their strength, it is nothing compared to ours. Ultimately, the eradication of the Magic Knights of Cephiro is not your job."

Nairi opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off by another female voice.

"I agree. It is mine."

Nairi's brown hair swung in a wide arc around her as she whipped around to glare at Kagura, who had appeared in the doorway. She was clad from head to toe in black, including her armor. She looked a bit different than she had before, though. Her eyes were harder, and her smile (more of a smirk, really) lacked any of the friendliness it had held before her meeting with Umi in the corridor.

"Yours?" Nairi said, her tone tight.

"The Knight of Selece is my target, and no one else's," Kagura said, stepping into the room. "The other two are mere bonuses. They will try to get in my way, and so I will deal with them as I deal with any annoyance." She tossed her own dark hair back. "They are nothing."

"…I think everyone needs to calm down," Cristal spoke up, her voice strong and bearing only a tiny waver to betray her emotions. "It does no good for us to fight amongst ourselves. We all have the same ultimate goal, and it will ultimately benefit all of us."

Her words managed to dispell some of the tension in the room. Only Nairi still looked ill at ease.

Cristal crossed to Kagura. "Come with me—you must hear of what happened out there." Amazingly enough, Kagura's expression lightened, and she and Cristal walked off together, chattering amiably about the fight the others had just returned from. She seemed particularly interested in hearing of Nairi's attack on Umi, and how the earth threatened to swallow Selece up completely.

Malia hesitated, then ducked her head and followed after them, hurrying down the corridor. She hadn't gone too far before a voice called her name, and she stopped and turned back to the source of it.

Nairi had followed her, arms folded. "Malia, I have a question," she said in that same tight, carefully controlled tone of voice. "About Kagura, specifically. She is not one of us. She is not a sister to us as you are to me and as we are to Cristal. Do you think she can truly be trusted? Is there any true guarantee that she will not betray us and return to the Magic Knights of Cephiro?"

Malia listened silently to all of the questions, then regarded Nairi with a cool gaze and answered her in a voice soft enough to only be heard between the two of them. "I understand that you resent what you perceive to be Kagura's growing influence with Sorilbran. The fact is that she is not a part of our team as you and I and Cristal are. However, she is also not the one with the influence. She is squarely under Sorilbran's thumb. And for that reason, no. I do not think she will betray us."

"Malia—"

"Kagura isn't the one I worry about in terms of betrayal," Malia added, turning to walk away. "There is another who I fear will turn on us before she would even dream of it."

As Malia left, Nairi's eyes bore a suspicious hole in her back.

**_-o-_**

As the sun set beyond the garden walls, Hikaru was forced to use a bit of her magic to light the nearby torches, as the palace servants had not yet done so. It wasn't a big thing, really. It just served to remind her exactly how much time had passed since they had first taken seats out here to read the book Fuu had found in the Royal Library. The book itself was one of legends, encompassing all worlds.

There was something slightly strange about seeing the story of the Magic Knights detailed anywhere other than Cephiro, but Fuu had to chuckle at the descriptions. Wielding swords of fire was definitely a Rayearth trait, not one shared by all three of the Knights.

The story of Light and Dark was outlined there, exactly as it had been told to them by Michiko. The two beasts had fought for supremacy, creating a third being in the process. The third being was neither of the Light nor of the Dark, but bore aspects of both. That third beast calmed the two, and the quarrel was ended. But there would come a time when one would awaken the two, and their battle would resume. That person was refered to as the Promised.

Fuu was holding the book, reading aloud to Hikaru; it was a comfortable, intimate moment between two friends. She read the legend up to that point…but was surprised to find that there was more to the story. While Hikaru mumbled something about the legend as she knew it, Fuu scanned the rest of the tale as outlined in the book.

And immediately made the decision to not share that part of the story with Hikaru. She quickly plastered a smile on her face, albeit a shaky one, and nodded quickly at what Hikaru was saying. But inside, she was trembling. This couldn't be…

She was proud, though, that her hands only shook a little bit as she quickly paged through the book, eager to find something else. A page turned beneath her fingers, and she paused as a picture met her eyes. It portrayed a large being, unmistakably a mashin, and one she immediately recognized by its golden yellow color.

"Galen…" she murmured, tilting the book to show Hikaru while her eyes scanned over the caption. How she could read the words, inscribed in what was undoubtedly Aldarban, she did not know or understand, but she was not going to question it. Perhaps it was the same magic by which she could read in Cephirean, or understand the Cephirean tongue despite it being drastically different from her own native Japanese.

"What else does it say?" Hikaru asked.

Fuu lifted the book and once again started to read, skimming over the text before she actually spoke. "It tells a story, and a very familiar one. Three girls from another world will be brought to join with the three gods to fight. Ring any bells?"

"That's our story!"

"Ah, but this one is different. It doesn't say anything about them fighting for a Pillar or a king or queen or anything like that. It just says that they'll fight…and that's all," Fuu read on. "It's actually pretty vague about what exactly their purpose is. But it does say something interesting. The gods those three are to join with are the gods of earth, lightning, and ice."

Hikaru processed this for a moment. "That makes sense. I was hit with ice shards, Umi was nearly swallowed up by the ground, and you already said that you thought that Malia girl could control the weather. So they really are Magic Knights?"

"It seems so."

"But where does Kagura fit into all of this? And what about that Sorilbran person?"

"There is absolutely nothing on that," Fuu sighed, closing the book. "There were mentions of that thing that possessed Xander before. Shadow is what the others called it. But not enough information to really be of any use to us just yet." She handed the book to Hikaru. "I just don't know anymore."

Hikaru looked like she was about to say something, but her gaze shifted to something above Fuu's head, and her expression changed to a sizable grin. "You know…I just remembered that I was going to go bother Lantis for a while. Bye, Fuu!" And she was up and running off towards the palace in a hurry.

"What in the world…" Fuu murmured, but turned at the sound of a chuckle behind her. She knew who it was before her eyes fell on him, and she grinned. "Sneaking up on me now, I see?

Ferio grinned. "If it works, I'll give it a shot." He was leaning against a tree, but straightened and moved to sit beside her, taking the spot that Hikaru had occupied a mere moment before. "I just heard the end of your conversation, but it sounds like you're finding some things."

"I can't help but think that everything we need to know is buried in the legends," she said, letting a hint of frustration finally worm its way into her tone. "But the stories are so old! Unless we can find a historian or someone to sift through everything and tell us what's real and what's myth, I don't know if we'll ever be able to really get it figured out. And this is a world where anything can happen…" She forced herself to stop and take a deep breath.

"We could ask about a historian, perhaps? I don't know how much good it would do, but it's something, isn't it?" Ferio suggested thoughtfully. "We could probably go ask right now."

Fuu opened her mouth to agree, then faltered. "Actually…" She felt a bit guilty for what she was about to say, but… "Let's ask tomorrow instead. First thing in the morning."

He looked surprised. "Why tomorrow?"

"Because this is the first uninterrupted conversation we've had since we got here, and I'd like to continue it for a while longer," she said, feeling herself blush.

An arm slid around her shoulders. "I agree."

That was all he said before he drew her to him and kissed her.

They had been like that for perhaps a few seconds when a voice called out from the gates that led into the Palace proper. "Lady Fuu? Lady Fuu, your presence is requested!"

Ferio leaned back, looking more frustrated than she had ever seen him. "Oh, for Creator's sake…" he muttered, running a hand through his hair before giving her a wry look. "And here I was hoping that being away from Cephiro would give us a chance to spend a little more time together…"

Fuu glanced around. She could still hear her name being called, but…one of the reasons she and Hikaru had chosen this spot was because it was private. They could talk without being easily discovered. And as Ferio was now sitting where Hikaru had been, that same cover still existed. In short, if they were quiet, they would not be readily found.

"You probably want to—OOF!" Ferio started to rise, but was cut off when Fuu grabbed the front of his tunic and pulled him to her in an uncharacteristically forward move. "F-Fuu?"

She grinned, feeling guilty and giddy at the same time. "They can wait a while."

**_-o-_**

From her viewpoint, Umi smiled as she watched her friends. They had invited her to go with them down to the gardens, but she had offered a plea of weariness and abstained from because she simply wanted to be alone for a while. She knew that she could have said that exactly and been just fine, but she didn't want them to worry any more than they already had.

Still, she was fairly sure that she hadn't fooled them. But the ploy had worked in the end. She was safe in her room, alone, and had been for a while, just staring out over the gardens, not really letting herself think about anything. After a while, she decided that maybe she did feel like a bit of company after all, and she started to straighten up with the intention of going down there to join them.

But that plan was shot in the foot when she saw Ferio approach. A moment later, Hikaru made a very quick exit, and despite her idea of going out to the gardens to hang out with them, Umi couldn't help but chuckle at Hikaru's perceptiveness. And she also made her exit, turning away from her balcony and moving back into her own room.

It was probably for the best. To be honest, it didn't seem that Fuu and Ferio were getting a whole lot of time to themselves. Best to leave them be and just continue her little internal monologue. It wasn't like she would be the best of company after all. Maybe she could go bother Hikaru later.

This tended to happen when something was bothering her: she became a hermit. Last time, that attitude had very nearly killed her when the darkness had crept closer and found her alone and too afraid to seek help. She had become a pawn in one of the most horrifying moments of her life.

Umi flopped over onto the bed—a large, luxurious one, and exceedingly comfortable—and slung one arm across her eyes to block out the light from the fire. The fireplace, when coupled with the lamps hung around the room, did a surprisingly good job of keeping the place lit. The room was as bright as any electric light could have made it.

She was finally hauling herself out of bed to put those lights out with every intention of changing and crawling right back into the bed to sleep when there was a knock at the door. Briefly wondering if it was Hikaru, Umi hurried across the room and answered. But it wasn't Hikaru.

It was Ascot. Who looked extremely nervous, his long fingers toying nervously with the sleeves of his robe. He blushed a little and managed, "I just wanted to see how you were doing…"

Umi smiled and stepped to one side, gesturing with one hand. "Come in. Please." He did so, and she closed the door behind him, feeling a twang of guilt. She hadn't made much time for the summoner since they had returned to Cephiro, and even less since their arrival in Aldarba. And what had she just been thinking about Fuu and Ferio not getting enough time together? "I'm sorry, Ascot," she said softly; she walked towards him and reached out to take one of his hands in both of her own. "I really haven't been spending any time with you, have I?"

"It's all right," he seemed to be relaxing now, which she took to be a good sign. He was always so shy around her; she wanted him to be comfortable around her. "You've had…other things on your mind."

"Still…"

"M-maybe I could help?" he offered, a hint of the stutter returning. "I don't know what I can do, but..."

Umi tilted her head to one side. "I'd ask you to listen, but you might wind up being here all night."

Now it was Ascot's turn to smile. "I can listen. As long as you want." He shifted nervously, and she had the sudden impression that he would have agreed to do just about anything if it meant time together. And she felt guilty again.

Umi took his hand. "Thank you." She pulled him towards the bed and again flopped down onto it without ceremony. "Before you even ask," she said, her voice muffled by the thick comforter, "this is the most comfortable spot in the room. That's why."

After a moment, she felt the mattress depress as a person's weight lowered onto it. She lifted her head, and couldn't quite keep herself from chuckling when she saw that Ascot had perched on the very edge of the bed, back ramrod straight. It was like he was afraid that he would somehow break it if he actually sat on it or something.

Umi rolled over to lay on her back, her head just touching his leg. "Relax. It's just me."

"…that's why I'm nervous," he said in a surprisingly dry voice.

This time she laughed out loud. "Okay, okay, point made. But really, you can relax. I'm not going to bite." She had to fight the urge, but she managed not to say anything to the effect of 'unless you want me to.' That would probably send him running…and when had she started thinking like that?

…probably since that little conversation she'd had with Fuu regarding such a matter?

Still, some of the tension left Ascot's shoulders, and he did visibly start to calm down. She nodded. "Much better. So are the keepers and the stableboys giving you a break at all?"

"Ehehe…" Ascot's nervous chuckle spoke volumes. "They're very interested in my friends."

"I can imagine so. It doesn't seem like they have anything like that around here," she sighed as she remembered. "…Kagura didn't really seem too fond of them at first either, did she? I seem to recall her screaming her head off. And Takeshi didn't do much better…"

Ascot frowned. "Umi…"

Umi sighed. "You know…I can't ever remember Kagura not being there. Ever since we were kids. We went to the same school, were in the same classes…we both were members of the fencing club, so we could practice together a lot. If our parents had to go somewhere for business, we would wind up crashing together at one of our houses. The only time she wasn't there was…well, it was Cephiro. When we came here the first two times, I mean. But I did have Hikaru and Fuu, at least…"

He was silent.

"And it hurt," she went on, closing her eyes. Suddenly, she was glad for someone to talk to, and he seemed a very willing listener. "I know she was worried—she and Takeshi both, really. And she was following me around, poking me and asking me what had happened and where was my head and why was I walking into the wall—true story, by the way, I was in a bit of a daze."

She was pleased to hear him chuckle slightly.

"When we came back here the second time…that was when the cloud kind of lifted. And she noticed that too. And she kept asking and kept poking for a while. Eventually she stopped, but I knew she never stopped wondering about that. And I couldn't bring myself to tell her about it, even though I knew that of everyone I knew, she was the most likely to at least try to believe me. She wouldn't immediately think I'd lost my marbles and rush me off to play hide-n-seek with the men in the white coats."

A glance up at Ascot proved that he had no idea what she was talking about. "If a person loses their mind or goes crazy to the point where they're a danger, they are sometimes put in a special hospital," she explained. "And the doctors there traditionally wear white coats."

"I see…"

"…maybe Kagura was right," Umi said after a moment's thought. "Maybe I didn't trust her enough to tell her. Maybe I wasn't sure that she wouldn't just call me nuts. I mean…she'd probably try to rationalize it as a dream or something, I'm sure, but…" She closed her eyes. "Maybe I didn't trust her after all. And maybe she realized it when she couldn't get me to tell her what happened…" Her next words were barely a whisper. "Maybe I'm really not that good of a friend…"

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be this worried about her," Ascot pointed out.

"…we have been through a lot together…" Umi murmured.

"Like what?"

Umi was silent a moment. "…Kagura had an older brother, six years older than her. His name was Kazuma. He was one of those all-around nice people, you know? Always had a nice thing to say, wouldn't turn down anyone who needed a hand…almost impossibly nice. Kagura adored him. We both did, really. I think he was actually my first crush, way back when. And I think he knew it. Doubt I was too careful about hiding it. He probably thought it was silly, but he never said anything."

She paused again. "He died when we were fifteen—about a year after we came to Cephiro the second time, actually. He went out to run an errand, and never made it home. Hit and run accident. I didn't find out about it until her parents called our house in a panic, asking if we'd seen her. She heard the news and ran out of the house. In the middle of the night in a storm. So I did what any fifteen-year-old without the capacity to think things through would do. I grabbed a flashlight and ran out there to look for her, ignoring the fact that my parents were screaming their heads off."

"What happened?"

"I found her. Don't know how, but I did. She wasn't thinking clearly—hell, neither was I. But I got her calmed down. I got her home. Her parents were hysterical. They got me home. I didn't see her for a while after that…" Umi trailed off. She remembered overhearing a conversation between her parents about therapy. "When she came back to school…she never talked about him again. And it was a long time before she was back to normal. And it was my turn to stand there and feel helpless while my best friend struggled. I bet that's how she felt…it's how I feel now."

She glanced up at Ascot with a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I really am babbling now, aren't I?"

He actually smiled and shook his head. "No. Not at all."

"Ascot…" Umi was about to say more, but his name was punctuated by a yawn that threatened to split her face in half. She gave him a sheepish look. "Maybe it's bedtime after all." She sat up and got to her feet. "Thanks for listening. I just needed to vent a little, I think."

He flushed a little and let her lead him back towards the door. But before he could open it, she caught his arm and turned him, gently pushing his back against the door. "Before you go…"

And she kissed him.

It took a moment for his arms to find their way around her in turn, and she smiled into the kiss. After a moment, she leaned back, smiling up at him. "We'll spend more time together. I promise. Time that doesn't involve me babbling like that."

Ascot's face was as red as Hikaru's hair. "Y-yes. I'd l-like that…" he swallowed hard. "Well, goodnight!" He turned to leave…and promptly ran into the door. He staggered back immediately, clutching his nose.

"Are you okay?" Umi was torn between concern and laughter. She wound up being unable to hold back all the giggles as she opened the door for him, and gave him another kiss on the cheek as he left her room. "Goodnight…"

**_-o-_**

It had been bothering Malia ever since that discussion she and the others had had with Kagura. It was nothing that had ever bothered her before, but now it kept niggling at her and worming further into her mind to permeate her thoughts.

…why can't I remember anything?

She remembered waking up in this place, and finding herself deemed a Magic Knight. It was then that she met Sorilbran, whom she now called her Lord. And she met the others, Nairi and Cristal. They trained together, learning to fight and use their magic. Sorilbran had cared for them and taught them. In return, he demanded loyalty, and that loyalty was given, and given freely and completely.

Her entire world since then had consisted of this place and the few people who resided here. She knew nothing of what had come before that. And that was what bothered her—why couldn't she remember? What had happened to take those memories from her?

It seemed that she was the only one who wondered about it. Cristal and Kagura had become very fast friends; the two spent a fair amount of time in each other's company. And Nairi…Nairi, whose loyalty to Sorilbran was by far the strongest, and who was growing jealous of Kagura's position.

Things were turning into a mess, worse than they had ever been before. There had been bickering before, but nothing like the divide that separated them now. Hadn't Sorilbran said that bringing Kagura here would not only help her to fulfill her destiny, but it would bring peace to the troubled waters that existed amidst the three of them.

That had not come to pass.

And Malia was having difficulty puzzling this whole mess out.

She glanced down at the stone pool. She had been spending a lot of time here, thinking on these things and many others. On a whim, she touched the water, and an image rippled and solidified before her eyes on the mirrored surface.

It was a moment from the past, but it showed four girls: the Magic Knights of Cephiro, plus Kagura. She knew their names to be Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu. The four of them looked a bit younger than they did now, as this was from perhaps a few years ago. The four were walking along some busy road, surrounded by buildings. They were talking happily with each other, laughing about some comment that the red-haired one—Hikaru, she remembered—had just made.

They looked so happy. Friends.

…almost like sisters.

This is what they had taken Kagura away from. These were the people that Kagura claimed to be her enemies, the ones who had tried to destroy her. And now they would fight to take her back.

And not for the first time, Malia found herself questioning the mission that had been laid before her. But she kept those thoughts to herself. To question was to disobey, and to disobey was to betray, and Sorilbran tolerated nothing less than complete loyalty.

And yet…

* * *

**PS.** _I have a whole mental backstory for most of my original characters. It's fun that way. So here we are, chapter ten. Not much else to say, except that I am owning summerwrite in the face. Thanks for reading, all! Much love!_


	11. The Other Side of the Story

**AN: **I do not own MKR or any characters thereunto pertaining. I say that both because the series belongs to CLAMP…and because I wanted to use the word "thereunto." Because it's an awesome word.

**The Other Side of the Story**

"Michiko, I know you're there. Show yourself."

A bit startled at being called out in such a manner—and by Fuu, of all people—the former Knight of Windam allowed herself to become visible and regarded her successor with much curiosity. "You seem upset. Is something wrong?"

Fuu walked towards her, a book in her hand; her face was set into an uncharacteristically hard expression. "When you told us the story of the Promised, you left out one little detail, didn't you?" There was no mistaking the carefully restrained anger in her eyes and voice. She opened the book as she walked, and held it out, pointing to a certain page. "This part right here."

Michiko took it, already knowing exactly what she was going to see on that page. Sure enough, there it was, in ornately scripted black and white. The one part of the story she had neglected to tell them. She sighed and lowered the book. "Fuu…you can understand why I didn't—"

"On the one hand, I can. But on the other hand, given how much this affects us? Especially how much it will affect Umi?" Fuu growled. "I still can't decide if it's forgivable or not. But I though you should know that I know. I haven't told the others yet. But I'm going to, next chance I get. Because they deserve to know the entire truth of the matter, if this story is to be believed." She took the book back. "And this world does have a nasty habit of having their legends be all too true."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

**_-o-_**

Ever since the spell that had trapped her within her own memories, Amaya had been conspicuously absent from the gatherings and group discussions over the incidents occurring in Aldarba and who Sorilbran was. Given her usual personality and candor, as well as her surprising degree of insight into such matters, her presence was very much missed.

But at the same time, no one could begrudge her for it.

On one occasion, Sachi murmured to Hikaru that Amaya was staying on the other side of the veil, in the Spirit Realm. She was frequently present at their discussions, but she remained silent and hidden. In fact, she was being very quiet, period. Not even Michiko's gentle words or Sachi's more sarcastic cajoling could draw her out of her shell.

Again, no one could truly blame her. Amaya's story had been forcibly dragged from her—a tale that she had kept very much a secret, and guarded from all save a precious few. And the anguish and trauma that she had been forced to endure were now known to far more people than she wanted. It had to be humiliating, and so she stayed away, keeping quiet and sulking alone.

It was because of this that Umi was startled to walk into her room and see her predecessor sitting in one of the chairs beside the fireplace, where a conscientious servant had left a nice fire burning. Amaya did not look up or give any indication that she was aware that she had company, but Umi knew that her presence had been noted. She didn't know exactly how she knew, but she did.

"Amaya?" she said softly as she approached.

The deceased Knight was still a moment longer, then looked up at Umi with an arched brow. "I'm not intruding on anything, am I?" When Umi shook her head, Amaya gestured toward a second chair. "If you're not busy…join me?" There was an unusually plaintive note in her voice. Pleading.

Umi sat immediately, regarding her with concern. "Are you okay? We've been worried…"

Amaya waved a hand. "I'm dead, bright one. Once you've reached that state, saying you're okay doesn't carry as much weight." It was an attempt at a jest, but there was something beneath it. Her hand fell back to the armrest, and her expression grew more morose. "To be honest…I just want to talk to someone. And who better than you?" She looked down. "Michiko and Sachi…they've heard this before. Far too many times." A glance at Umi. "Do you understand?"

"I do," Umi smiled. "I may not seem it at first, but I am a good listener."

The relief was visible, both in Amaya's face and in her posture; she visibly relaxed and settled back against the chair, apparently a bit more comfortable now that she knew she would not be rejected or chased away outright. "I know I haven't been the most social being as of late…"

"No one holds it against you," Umi pointed out. "A secret of yours was made a matter of public knowledge. Well, to a small group of people, at least. But it's still your secret, and it shouldn't have to be shared unless you want it to be shared. To be honest, if I were you, I probably would have sulked for a whole lot longer. You're more resilient than me."

"I doubt that, given how fast I've seen you bounce back from things. Or rather, you pretend to bounce back," Amaya replied, her gaze shifting to the fire. "Forgive the intrusion, but I did overhear part of your conversation with the young summoner the other night. You know what it's like to be the one who worries and the one who fears. So I suspect that you try to come back from problems as quickly as possible so as not to cause worry for those around you. Am I right?"

Umi stared at her for a moment before her gaze dropped and her expression became overcast. "I'm not very good at it, really. Fuu can always see right through me. Hikaru knows, that damned instinctive thing she has going on. And Kagura…well, she just knows me too well. Same for Takeshi. They could take one look at me and tell me my smile was fake, so knock it off."

"Hmm…Sachi and Michiko do that to me all the time," Amaya chuckled. "Clef did too, in his own way. He never came right out and said anything, but he had that look. That little raised eyebrow look that said he was looking right past whatever façade I was trying to put up. I couldn't fool them at all. But…" Her expression softened, "…it was quite some time before I let Clef get that close."

Umi nodded, sensing that the real reason Amaya needed to talk was about to come out.

"I've told you how hard it was to get close to Sachi and Michiko. When you have three people, all with emotional baggage and trust issues…there are walls. All three of us had them, and when all three of them were layered…it's a wonder we even spoke to each other at first," Amaya leaned back in her chair.

"Was there something that helped break those walls?"

"Eterna, actually. The damnable Spring of Eterna," Amaya chuckled dryly. "Michiko has always been the wisest of the three of us. I think it's a Knight of Windam thing, you know? Your girl, Fuu…she's brilliant. I've heard you say so yourself. Michiko was the same way. And she was the one who realized it first, that we would have to figure out a way to work together. In the Spring of Eterna, she was faced with the two of us—Sachi and me. And we were attacking her. Each of us wound up facing the other two."

"Eterna shows you people you value and care about…" Umi murmured, remembering her own experience in the two-dimensional spring, when the shades of her parents had attacked her.

"She was the one who put two and two together, and realized that she needed us and we needed her," Amaya went on. "And she also realized that while we might not trust her, we had no reason to attack her like we seemed to be doing. And she fought back, and won her Escudo. Sachi and I…we heard her voice, and we understood. That was the turning point for us in Cephiro, though it was still a very long time before we spoke of some things."

"I can't even imagine that. It wasn't hard to trust Fuu and Hikaru," Umi said. "Both out of necessity and because they seemed to be genuinely nice people."

"I was the last one to tell my story. Michiko told hers first, of course. Sachi opened up one night after she had a nightmare and woke up screaming and crying. I won't tell you their stories, as they're not mine to tell. But mine…" she sighed. "I told them my tale the night before we faced the Pillar, Sapphira. I was convinced that after they heard it, they would leave me behind. Who would want someone like me guarding their back?"

"But it didn't work out that way," Umi said.

"Not even remotely. I didn't even realize I was crying until Sachi hugged me. I thought I had forgotten how to cry. And you know the rest—we did our duty to the Pillar, and begged to stay in Cephiro to protect the new Pillar, Emeraude. Our wishes were granted, and the rest is history," Amaya paused at the look on Umi's face. "Or perhaps it is not history. You have questions."

"I was wondering how you got close to Clef," Umi asked after a moment's hesitation.

"Ah, yes…" Amaya actually managed a slight smile. "We met when he was being trained in the use of his magic at the Palace. We told you about how that worked before, right?" At Umi's nod, she continued. "We lived there as well. The protectors of the Pillar and of Cephiro, as well as…well, pretty much every other job you can imagine, we did at some point. We all had a lot of friends, but surprisingly few of those friends were very close friends. And Clef was one of two being considered for the title of Guru. So we found ourselves working together quite often."

"Is this a 'one thing led to another' kind of thing?"

"In a way. You know he can be quite stubborn," Amaya chuckled. "And at the risk of sounding like a bad shoujo manga, at some point I just fell. I was tired of being alone, and we had grown close enough that I knew he was a good man. And…well, long story short—"

"Too late," Umi grinned cheekily.

"Smartass."

"Better than the alternative."

"Anyway," Amaya rolled her eyes. "After all was said and done, he pursued me until I caught him." She slid down in her chair and sighed. "But…I did tell him my story before we were to marry. I thought he had a right to know what kind of—I mean, exactly who he was binding himself to. I told him everything."

"Judging by what I already know, he didn't run away," Umi shifted, putting her back against one arm of the chair and swinging her legs over the other arm. "He and I might not have gotten off on the right foot, but he is a good guy." She paused. "I think he still misses you."

"I know…but there is another for him now," Amaya said knowingly. "He just needs to let go and let himself see it. She is a good person as well. And I think they would be very happy together."

"Presea, right?" Umi said, offering a knowing smile that was identical to the one Amaya wore.

"The pharle? Yes."

"I'm not the only one who noticed."

Amaya shook her head. "No, you aren't. I think Clef himself is the only one who hasn't noticed it. But he needs to, and soon. Besides, I won't be spending my entire afterlife floating around the Palace. Sooner or later, the three of us will move on."

"Why are you still here, anyway?" Umi asked. "I mean, I enjoy your company, but Xander is gone. Isn't that why you were still here? To make sure he didn't get away with what he was planning?"

"Not exactly," Amaya said. "When we died, we made a wish and a promise. And as such, we are bound to Cephiro until Cephiro is safe from the darkness that threatens it. That was our promise. We didn't know how long it would take for the next Magic Knights to appear, or when the enemy would appear again. But once Cephiro is safe from that darkness, then we pass on and leave the world in your hands."

Umi's eyes got a little wider. "And the fact that you're still here—"

"Means that Cephiro is not yet safe," Amaya nodded grimly. "And that Shadow is still out there, and free to attack. You defeated Xander, bright one, and you won that battle. But the war…I'm afraid that, Umi, is just beginning."

**_-o-_**

Sitting around the Palace was driving Fuu completely nuts. Out of a desperate need to get out of that place, she called out that she was going to take Windam and head to the skies to do some scouting. Before anyone could make any move to stop her, she was tearing down the corridor towards a nearby balcony, her sword already in her hand. A single word, and she was swept out of the Palace and nestled safely in the heart of Windam.

She really had no direction. She had simply wanted to get out of there and have a moment alone. Granted, being with her mashin meant that she wasn't truly alone, but Windam had proven time and time again to be a very accommodating partner in that he was generally willing to leave her be when she was just trying to sort things out.

They had been floating around for a while in silence before he spoke up. **_"You are troubled."_** It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, I am," she said, surprisingly thankful for the intrusion. "What that story said…I am guessing that you're familiar with the story. I'm going to tell Umi and Hikaru what I know. I didn't tell Hikaru at first because I didn't want to believe what I was reading, but…" She sighed. "It seems to be the truth."

**_"It is truth,"_** Windam said simply, and she was relieved for the honesty, even though it confirmed something she wished desperately not to be true. **_"But you three have a surprising tendency to take what should be an unavoidable destiny…and avoid it."_**

"So…just wait it out and see what happens?" Fuu said, one eyebrow arching. It didn't seem like the soundest of advice, and yet at the same time, it did. "That's really the best we can do?"

**_"You are doing something now, are you not?"_** Windam pointed out. **_"Searching for the enemy?"_**

Fuu sighed. "That's only part of it. You're inside my head. You know the rest."

**_"It is translating into productivity. Let us not complain."_**

"…you remind me of me."

Windam's response was lost when a streak of lightning shot from the sky to the ground directly in front of them. It took them both completely by surprise, especially considering that it came from a blue, cloudless sky. In an instant, Windam was armed and ready for battle.

_Malia…_ Fuu remembered, already sure that she knew who she was going to go up against. The girl who had introduced herself as the Knight of Galen, and wielded power over storms. "Windam, let's head up. She's around here somewhere."

They didn't have to look too far. The golden-yellow mashin was hovering patiently in the sky, waiting for them. It made no move to attack as they approached and floated a fair distance away. They were close enough that they could hear each other, albeit through magical means, but far enough apart that one could not immediately attack the other without warning.

As she drew close, she sent out a silent call. _Hikaru! Umi! She's here! Hurry!_

"Greetings, Knight of Windam," the girl called Malia said politely. "Fuu, correct?"

"Yes. And you are Malia," Fuu said. She was alert, but not defensive just yet; she would not go on the offensive or the defensive until she knew for certain that she was in danger. "What brings you here? Are you under orders from Sorilbran?" She still knew nothing of who he was, but she would use it anyway.

To her surprise, Malia shook her head. "Not today. This time I'm here by choice. I came to face you, Fuu…of my own free will." Something about how she said it gave the impression that choice and free will were bordering on alien concepts, and she seemed to be a bit proud of the fact that she had made this decision and followed through on it herself.

"What do you want from me, then?" Fuu asked. The air around them was starting to crackle, and she finally let herself fall into defensive mode. It seemed that there was to be a fight, and she would have to battle and defend herself. She only hoped that the others had gotten her message…

**_"They are coming,"_** Windam murmured in her mind. **_"They will be here soon."_**

_Thank you,_ Fuu responded without spoken words.

"What I truly want, I cannot simply tell you," Malia said. There was a crack of lightning, and a sword appeared in the mashin's hand. "Let us fight. If you beat me, I will tell you what you wish to know."

"And if I lose?"

"…then I will leave."

It seemed an odd bet to make, but something told Fuu that she could trust in the wagers laid. "I accept."

Malia nodded, and then Galen surged towards them.

It was a repeat of their earlier dances, and proved to be very similar in step and rhythm. They battled across the sky, gaining and losing the upper hand in quick succession, fighting as equals. And all the while, Fuu was keeping one eye open for any sign of her teammates. She didn't need their aid to hold her own in this fight, but she had another thought…

And then out of nowhere—

Water.

A jet of water surged through the air and struck Galen in the back, followed in quick succession by a burst of flame that engulfed the mashin. Fuu heard Malia scream in pain—she had been injured—but the distraction was allowing Fuu one precious moment to choose a spell and use it, and she did. She called Binding Winds, and wrapped the dazed mashin up before it could recover. Hikaru and Umi were immediately around the being, taking hold of it to prevent any attempts at escape.

Fuu flew a bit lower in the sky. They had just captured Galen, and his Knight. She could hear Malia murmuring something faintly as she tied off her magic to seal the bonds. And the words she heard bewildered her and gave her great pause as to the actual motivations behind this confrontation.

"Fuu! Are you all right?" Hikaru asked. Rayearth and Selece had the unmoving Galen suspended between them, and were flying towards her. "We got here as soon as we could."

"I'm fine," Fuu waved a hand. "We should get back. Perhaps we will learn something there." It seemed that they had not heard the words she had—Malia's words. But Fuu couldn't believe that she had heard correctly. There was simply no way that she could have heard right. After all…there was no reason in the world that someone being first injured, then captured by the enemy would say such a thing…

There was no reason at all for Malia to say _Thank you._

**_-o-_**

"What are you—oh bright stars!" Caliana's exclamation of worry was lost in a cry of alarm when she saw that the Magic Knights of Cephiro had not returned alone. They were pulling a fourth girl along, this one unconscious, bound by magic and visibly injured. The girl wore armor of a golden yellow. "Who is she?"

"She's one of them. Her name is Malia," Umi said in a rush. "We need to secure her, and fast."

"We have a dungeon. It is not used often, but we do have one. If you would like to put her there—" Caliana started, but her offer trailed off when she noticed that Fuu was shaking her head.

"I appreciate the offer, Highness, and I understand why you suggest that, but is there a secure room in the Palace where we can put her?" Fuu asked, shifting to better support Malia's weight. "I know it sounds bizarre, but please trust me on this. The dungeon is not where she should be kept."

The look Caliana gave her was unmistakably dubious, but she nodded. "I am sure there is. We will find a place…" She turned and led them further into the Palace, the unconscious enemy still held and supported between the three girls from Earth.

It had been a bit of a trick, but somehow the mashin had managed to extract the injured Malia from the mashin she called Galen. When Hikaru had asked, Rayearth had assured her that they would handle Galen. They needed to focus on Malia. The girl had been placed in their hands, and Fuu had immediately called winds to bind her. It had been a difficult choice for her, but ultimately it was decided to wait until they had her somewhere secure before healing her injuries. A wounded enemy was a bit easier to handle than one at full strength.

After a bit of searching and asking around, Caliana found a place that suited what they had requested. It was a room in a secluded hallway in the servants' quarters of the Palace. The room itself was very small and very simple, and sparsely furnished with a bed, table, chair, and vanity. But it was far enough away from the rest of the Palace inhabitants to offer some buffer, and the door was solid and had a sturdy lock on it. It seemed a good place to put their captive.

…somehow, thinking of Malia as a captive made all three of them uneasy. Capturing people was something the enemy did because capturing people frequently meant hurting them in some way or another, and the Magic Knights did not enjoy hurting anyone. Although Malia had been injured…

They put her to bed. It was the obvious choice, given her state. Fuu released the bonds of magic that she had called to hold the girl, and they carefully removed her yellow armor and ovum-gem before pulling the blankets up around her. It stood to reason that the girl had a sword if she was able to call a mashin, and her sword was probably stashed inside her gem.

Hikaru gathered up the armor and glanced at Caliana. "Is there an armory or somewhere secure where we can put this stuff? Just gotta make sure she can't get to it, and ideally that no one else can either."

"The officers' armory," Caliana nodded. "They are men of rank and integrity. There should be a locker there that would suit your purposes. Follow me." She led Hikaru from the room, nearly knocking Kannon over in the process. It seemed that he had been looking for her. But Caliana was a woman on a mission, and she offered a quick apology before hurrying on her way. Hikaru chuckled and gestured for him to follow, and they followed the Princess away from the makeshift prison, Hikaru promising to explain everything on the way there.

As they left, Umi stayed with Fuu. "Are you sure this is all right?"

"I just have a feeling about this," Fuu said. "I don't think this girl is our enemy. She's been giving us clues, hints…helping us. And she sought me out of her own free will, and I don't think that was easy for her to do. She could have killed any of us at any time, given her power—goodness knows she's snuck up on up enough times to have managed it by now. I think we need to give her a chance."

"Well…" Umi looked a bit doubtful, but she quickly shook it off. "I trust your instincts as well as I trust my own, Fuu. If you say you've got a feeling, and it's that strong, I'll listen to it."

"Thank you. I needed the vote of confidence," Fuu admitted, "partially to convince myself that I'm not doing something completely stupid. All right, here we go…" She raised her hand and called her magic; the healing winds moved around the unconscious girl, and in a moment, the injuries had melted completely away. Fuu quickly cast one more spell: a barrier around the room to keep Malia in and any unauthorized people out. That done, she glanced back at Umi. "We should leave. She'll wake up soon. I'm sure she knows what happened to her…"

As they stepped out and closed and locked the door of the makeshift prison, Umi frowned as a thought struck her. "She'll be able to talk with her mashin, won't she? Wouldn't that help her friends find her? It's worked for us plenty of times…maybe we should keep her unconscious somehow?" There was something in Umi's voice that said she knew it was a bad idea, even as she said it.

"Rayearth said that they would take care of Galen. I don't think we have to worry," Fuu said as she pocketed the key. She frowned. "But…there's still something bothering me about her. It's been bothering me since the first time I saw her, and I still can't figure out what it is. And it's driving me insane! I can't put my finger on it! But I have the feeling that it's something that should be obvious."

"I don't know what to tell you," Umi shrugged. "You're the smart one here, not me."

"Still…" Fuu murmured. "I feel like it's going to be important…" She glanced at the door, still frowning. "Let's go. Let her sleep the rest of it off. I'll talk to her later. Maybe we'll get some answers then."

**_-o-_**

"My lord!"

The door burst open, and Cristal stormed through it. Her normally calm face was flushed, her eyes bright with anger. She was absolutely livid. Sorilbran and Aeric looked up as she came in, and Kagura rose from where she had been sitting near the wall. "What is it?" Kagura asked, visibly startled.

"It's Malia!" Cristal exclaimed. "Hadrian just told me—Malia's been captured! She and Galen both! The Magic Knights of Cephiro took them in the skies over Aldarba!" She waved her hands around as she spoke, frantic and alarmed.

Aeric's reaction was an unusual one for him, as he was usually quite collected: he looked rather surprised at the news. "I was unaware that she had been given any orders to go there."

"She had not been given any such orders," Sorilbran said, voice crisp and cold. "If Malia was there, she went of her own accord. And now we have apparently lost both her and Galen. This is not acceptable." He threw a glance to the side. "Kagura."

"Sir?"

"Go. Retrieve Malia immediately, and bring her straight to me when you return. I will accept no failures, and no excuses," Sorilbran ordered. His thin fingers were twitching as he spoke.

"As you command," she said, and turned to make her exit.

"My lord," Cristal ventured, "I wish to go with her. Please—let me help Malia."

Sorilbran studied her for a moment, then nodded curtly. "I will allow it."

"Thank you, sir," she smiled and bobbed up and down in a quick bow before hurrying to join Kagura, who had hesitated in the door to wait for her. The two Knights rushed from the room and down the corridor. They were already drawing their swords in flashes of gray and black light.

After the girls were out of earshot, Aeric turned back to his lord. "Sorilbran, what are you planning?"

"It would seem, Aeric," the illusionist said, "that certain people continue to outlive their usefulness. It won't be much longer now." He threw the general a look over his shoulder. "Wait for the order."

**_-o-_**

_I'm…I'm in a bed…but not in my own bed…_

_Where am I?_

Malia realized very quickly that she was not where she was really supposed to be. But as the haze of slumber rapidly cleared from her mind, she remembered what had happened to her, and it became very clear exactly why she was no where she was supposed to be.

_That's right…_ she thought, opening her eyes. _I went to face them. I wanted to see the Knight of Windam again. Why did I want to see her? But we fought, and the others came, and I was captured… _She frowned as she tried to remember her own motivations, and then realized something else. She sat up in bed, noticing immediately that she was wearing neither armor nor gem. _Galen!_

A comforting rumble sounded from the back of her mind, and she relaxed as soon as she heard it. "Galen…" she murmured, hoping that there was no one nearby to overhear and think her crazy. "I'm glad to hear you. Are you all right? Were you hurt?"

**_"I am unharmed."_**

"Are you with the others? The ones from Cephiro?" she asked, eyes dropping to look at the blanket spread across her legs; it was a simple beige color, sewn with flowers in red and blue. She picked absently at a loose string. "Are they treating you well?"

**_"Do not worry for me. I am in good company."_**

"That's good," she looked up at the ceiling. It was a silly habit, even though she knew Galen was not there. It just felt like she was talking directly to him, and not so much to empty air. "I know we spoke of this before, Galen. And I think I'm doing the right thing. I am not afraid."

**_"Then I am with you."_**

"Thank you," she smiled. She would have said more, but she was cut off when there was a click, and the door to the room opened. Her eyes fixated on that door, waiting to see who would come in. Would it be a guard, perhaps? Someone like Aeric? And she was completely defenseless, at the mercy of those who imprisoned her…the thought did send a shiver through her. But Galen's presence was still firmly in the back of her mind, and that gave her a small amount of comfort. She was defenseless, but she was not completely alone.

The walls of the room seemed to ripple for a moment, and she started at it. A shield?

She didn't have much time to further contemplate, though it before someone passed through the door and closed it once again. Malia had been expecting a guard of some sort—probably a man in heavy armor, speaking in grunts and either not making eye contact, or trying to make contact of a different kind altogether. Wasn't that what usually happened? Sorilbran had commented that those taken prisoner were often subject to grave tortures. But she had believed that the Magic Knights of Cephiro were different…she had watched them, and they seemed so kind…

But it was no armed man.

It was a young woman, who appeared to be around Malia's own age (she thought, at least—Malia wasn't sure how old she was, but based on appearances and things, she guessed herself to be perhaps twenty or so). She was pretty and pleasant-looking, and holding a tray. And she was smiling.

Malia knew who the girl was before she even opened her mouth to introduce herself. Realizing that she was still in bed, she pushed the blankets aside and hurriedly got to her feet, never taking her eyes from her visitor. But seeing this person actually made her nervous. Again, she had no way to fight back. "You are…" she swallowed and forced herself to stand up straight and at least act confident in spite of how she felt, "the Knight of Windam, correct?"

The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Your name is Fuu?"

"Yes. And you are Malia. Galen is your mashin."

"That is correct."

Fuu moved further into the small room, holding the tray out to set it carefully on the small table. "I brought you something to eat. I don't know how hungry you are, though…" She gave Malia an uncertain look. "I can leave, if you want."

"Actually…" Malia took a seat in the room's lone chair at the table, "…I'd like it if you would stay. I have been wanting to talk to you for some time now. If it's not too much trouble, I mean." She leaned over the tray and inhaled deeply; whatever was in the two covered dishes smelled delicious.

"That's fine. I'd like to talk to you, too," Fuu said. She leaned against the wall and watched as Malia began to eat. After a moment she spoke up again. "I would like you to know that none of us will harm you. You are not in any danger here."

Malia paused, spoon halfway to her mouth, and gave Fuu an unreadable look. "I'm not in any danger from you, you mean. Those outside this place…I imagine that remains to be seen, does it not?"

"It does…" Fuu had to acknowledge that she was right.

"Hmm, I imagine that for a Magic Knight such as yourself," Malia said, her voice startlingly calm, "there are few places where you find yourself in true danger anymore. Particularly in Cephiro. You have secured that land's peace."

"That might be true now," Fuu said. "But it wasn't always like that. When we first arrived there—Umi and Hikaru and myself—we didn't know each other, and we knew very little about what we were doing there. It wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. And there really wasn't anywhere that was truly safe for us. Monster attacks, Zagato's fighters…we were always under attack, it seemed."

"And now?"

"Now things are different. The people of Cephiro are at peace. They can live their lives happily…although that might not be the case for too much longer," Fuu's expression darkened. "There are three incredible women named Michiko, Sachi, and Amaya. They're ghosts, to be honest. They were the Magic Knights before us, and they sacrificed their lives for Cephiro. And they made a promise to stay bound to Cephiro and this world until Cephiro was truly safe from the darkness that they had given their lives to stop. The fact that they're still here? And the attacks and strange things that have been happening since we came to Aldarba? Well, it really doesn't bode well for Cephiro's peace."

"And you will fight?" Malia asked between mouthfuls.

"If we are here, we will fight for Cephiro, and Aldarba if need be," Fuu said firmly. "We honor the contracts between Cephiro and her allies. That is our duty and our destiny."

"…I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Why do you fight like this?" Malia asked. "Why do you fight for people you don't know and a world that you don't live in? There's really no stake for you in this war. And war it seems it will be, Fuu. I don't completely understand why you would make the choice to put yourself—and your friends—on the line like that for strangers and a strange land."

Fuu was quiet a moment before she replied. "Malia…it's really not a choice at all."

That startled her. "What do you mean?"

"Let me ask you a question in response," Fuu said. "If we don't fight for Cephiro as we do…who will?" She surprised Malia by smiling. "The fact is that no one else can do what we do. Think of the farmers in those small towns and villages. Think of the food they grow. If I had to, I could learn how to grow a vegetable plant. Granted, it probably wouldn't be anywhere near as good as what they do for their livelihood, but the fact is that I could do it. How many of those farmers will ever be able to travel between worlds and join with a mashin?"

Malia was visibly stunned. "Fuu…"

"It's really hard to explain. But…it's sort of a need. A drive. I can't make it much clearer than that. But it's something that we have to do. And something that we want to do," Fuu said. She folded her arms. "Clef actually tried to tell us not to fight the second time we came here. And we didn't listen."

"You're very brave."

"I'm actually a big coward," Fuu laughed. "Hikaru is the brave one of the three of us. But courage is not a matter of not being afraid. It's a matter of knowing that there are more important things in the world, and knowing how much you miss if you spend your entire life hiding under your bed, hoping that nothing bad will find you."

Malia looked down, the spoon in her hand lowering to the tray. "I see…"

"Now I have a question for you, Malia," Fuu asked. "When we met earlier, you said that you were not there on orders—you were there by your own choice, of your own free will. Why did you do that?"

Now it was Fuu's turn to be surprised when Malia smiled. "I wanted to face you. And to be honest…I really wanted you to do one of two things. I wanted you to either capture me…or destroy me." She ignored the look of shock on Fuu's face. "But to quietly turn myself over to you would be treason, tantamount to suicide. Still…I had to see for myself."

"What did you want to see?"

"You. And your friends," Malia said. "I wanted to see the other side of the story. The fact is that I do not know what is truth anymore, and I am not entirely certain that we are really doing the right thing. You see…" She sighed. "I don't have many memories, and none at all before a certain point. I woke up one morning, and I was in that place with the other girls. And Aeric was there…and Sorilbran."

"What can you tell me about Sorilbran?" Fuu jumped in. "Please…just tell me as much as you can. I won't push you if there's something you don't want to talk about."

"Sorilbran calls himself the Master of Illusions," Malia said. "And he saved us. He said that the three of us were on the brink of death, but he brought us back and put us on the path to our true destiny as Magic Knights. We owe him a great deal, and he does not let us forget it. He demands complete and total loyalty from us, and it is given."

"Tell me about us," Fuu prodded softly. "Your friends—the other Knights…"

"I have power over storms, and my partner is Galen," Malia ticked the names off on her fingers as she recounted them. "Cristal's mashin is Hadrian. She controls ice. She is friendly—she and Kagura get along very well. And Nairi…Nairi's loyalty to Sorilbran is the strongest of the three of us. She will tolerate nothing that goes against him and his wishes. Her partner is Damek, the God of Earth. I fear that she envies Kagura's influence."

"What about Kagura?" Fuu realized just how much information this girl was willing to share.

"I do not know how he subverted her, but I know that he did. She is not the same person she was when we took her and she was first brought to us as the Promised of the Legend. She is moving fast, and soon she will fulfill her part in the Legend—"

"No!" Fuu jumped upright.

"Wh-what? What is it?" Malia had started at the outburst.

"She can't do that! She can't!" Fuu hissed, leaning over the table to meet Malia's eyes squarely. "How much of the legend do you know?"

"The Promised will come to awaken the beasts of Light and Dark, and she will claim the power of the Dark," Malia rattled the story off in a manner that suggested she had listened to it many, many times before. "That's how Sorilbran told it to us, at least."

"That's not the story at all," Fuu said, alarmed. "The Promised will awaken them…so they can continue their fight. The world could be torn apart by it. And while she will harness their power…she will ultimately be destroyed. She will be the sacrifice to them."

Malia's eyes widened in horror. "No…"

"If we don't get Kagura out of there," Fuu said in a flat voice, "she is going to die. And Light and Dark will tear the world apart. You're right, Malia. This is the beginning of a war."

* * *

**PS.** _...why do I get the increasing feeling that this story is more or less turning into a set-up for the third part of the trilogy? FACEPALMING GOES HERE. Oh well. I rather like how Malia is turning out. By the way, considering that I sort of left this story by the wayside for…err, far too long…I've added over thirty-one thousand words to this story in the last month and a half. Not too bad, eh?_

_Thanks for reading, all! Much love!_


	12. Making a Move

**AN: **I do not, repeat, do NOT own MKR. Just borrowing 'em and playing with them for fun!

**Making a Move**

"…and that's everything," Fuu finished. "You now know everything that Malia told me."

It had taken a while, but Fuu had finally managed to recount the vast majority of her conversation with the captured Knight. Hikaru and Umi had listened quietly throughout the entire story, and now they seemed to be mulling everything over. Not that she blamed them. She had been constantly going over the discussion ever since she had left Malia's room.

Hikaru spoke up first. "I just can't believe how cooperative she's being. That doesn't seem like something she should do if she's really trying to destroy us. I wonder what's going on." She glanced at Umi. "Do you think she's really going to help us?"

To her surprise, Umi's expression was unusually hard. "I don't believe her," she said in a clipped voice. But some of her mood could be attributed to Fuu's news of what the ultimate fate of the Promised was: death at the hands of the very beasts she was to awaken. "I think it's some sort of a trick, or a trap. Maybe she was lying. Maybe she was sent out there to meet you and let herself be taken so she could give us false information. I refuse to trust her any farther than I can throw her."

"I'd thought of that as well, Umi," Fuu said. "But I just can't shake the feeling that what she's saying is genuine. I can't explain exactly why, but I really believe that she's telling us the truth, or at least the truth as she knows it. She did seem very surprised when I told her what would happen to Kagura if something didn't happen."

"I don't care," Umi stood and walked to the window, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She stared out at the darkening sky, her reflection in the glass showing an angry, bitter face. "She was a part of that plan, and she put Kagura in that position. That's all that matters to me right now."

It was a harsh thing to say, but neither of the other two could truly find it in them to blame her for her uncharitable attitude. Her best friend's life was on the line, and she would have the same reaction if it were Fuu or Hikaru or any of their other friends in the same situation. She had faults, but Umi's loyalty to her friends was nothing to be discounted.

"What exactly did the story say again, Fuu?" Hikaru asked after a tense moment had passed.

Fuu sighed. "The Promised will bring back the beasts of Light and Dark. I'm assuming that they are mashin, but don't quote me on that. And she will choose one, and become a sacrifice to the one she picks. The one she chooses will then gain her power because of that sacrifice, and it will finally win the battle against its rival."

"And she said she was of the Dark," Hikaru quoted, remembering. "Which means—"

"That they're setting her up to resurrect the Dark and destroy the Light," Umi said from the window. "She dies, and this Sorilbran guy gets to take over. Beautiful. What do you want to bet that they haven't told her that she's going to be eaten alive by this monster?"

"Given that Malia was genuinely horrified when I told her? I'd say that Kagura doesn't have a clue what she's in for," Fuu replied. "She was probably just told that she's a Magic Knight and that's her mashin."

"And here's another thought," Hikaru said slowly. "We know that Kagura was changed. They made her think that we're her enemies instead of her friends. Who's to say that they couldn't use the same method, whatever it is, to simply make her a willing sacrifice? She walks right into the jaws of that thing, no questions asked and no problems."

Umi visibly shuddered.

Hikaru stood and moved to stand next to her. "Umi…" she said quietly. "I know you're angry and scared and hurt. We all are. And I understand why you don't want to trust Malia." She put a hand on Umi's arm, and was relieved that Umi did not pull away. "But this is the best shot we have right now. Maybe Malia is telling us the truth. Maybe she's not. But if we're careful, maybe this can give us a clue as to what we should do next. And then maybe we can help Kagura."

"…I don't trust her," Umi said after a moment of silence. "But if she is going to help us…then we need to protect her, right? I'm sure they know that we have her. They'll probably come for her. So we should make sure she stays safe." She looked down. "I'll do that much, at least. Let's not have anymore bloodshed then necessary."

Hikaru gave her a quick hug and smiled. "Agreed."

**_-o-_**

"Caliana?"

The princess glanced up at the familiar voice. "Kannon. Report?" She had been waiting for him to come here and give her the news on the prisoner. Since the moment they had brought that girl into the Palace, she had felt unusually uneasy. Oh, there was always a certain unease about such things, but this went beyond the normal apprehension, and she had been waiting on this report with great eagerness.

"The captured girl is named Malia. She has been extremely cooperative, and is non-combative," he said, standing straight and tall with his hands clasped behind his back. "After speaking with the Magic Knights, she has even agreed to help them."

Caliana listened to all of this quietly. "Good. Very good. Thank you." She leaned down and put one hand to her forehead, where a dull ache had gradually been forming for the majority of the day.

"…are you all right?" Kannon asked after a moment.

"I have a feeling, Kannon," she said, closing her eyes. "Something is going to happen, and soon. At first I believed it to be nothing more than unease over the situation, but the feeling keeps growing stronger, and I cannot discount it as being incorrect. It feels like I am right about this. I would almost call it a premonition, but such things are impossible without magic, are they not? But…" She turned her head to look straight at him. "Something is coming. It will not be long."

She saw him hesitate before he crossed the room and knelt at her side. "Whatever happens, Princess," he put one hand to his heart and bowed his head, "I will protect you. Just as I always have."

Caliana remembered her conversation with Fuu in the Palace library a few days prior, and she smiled. "Kannon…" she reached out and touched his cheek. "Thank you. But if you die, good sir, especially on my account? I do not think I will be able to forgive you."

**_-o-_**

The whole situation seemed to just keep getting worse and worse with each new development. Hikaru was wandering through the maze of Palace corridors in search of Fuu. She had gone to find Umi, but the Knight of Selece was shut up in her rooms and did not seem terribly eager for company, Hikaru's or anyone else's.

To anyone who didn't know Umi and didn't know the circumstances, it would seem that Umi was being, for lack of a better term, a bitch. But it was just one of those things that Hikaru had learned about her friend during and since their original Magic Knight days, and it didn't bother her. Umi would be like this for a while, sulking and hiding, and then she would emerge again, ready to tackle the problem at hand with her usual determination and attitude.

Besides, she had to wonder exactly how she would feel if she learned what Umi had learned. Not only was her best friend trying to kill her, but said best friend was going to die in fulfillment of a legend borne of another world unless they were able to do something to save her or change a destiny that had been written in folklore countless years ago.

Somehow, Hikaru doubted that she would take it well either.

But Fuu had related a comment from Windam: the three of them did have a tendency to take what should be an unavoidable fate and…well, avoid it. They had done it when Hikaru found herself trapped in the Pillar test. They had done it when Umi defied Death itself to save her friends.

The question was whether or not they could do it again now.

But at the moment, she was looking for Fuu. They needed to go talk to Malia again, and see if they could find out more information. Hikaru still held a few doubts, but she held them quietly and secretly, for she trusted Fuu far more than she doubted Malia. The problem was that Fuu seemed to be spending a great deal of time wandering around, lost in her own thoughts. She was putting a great deal of mental energy into the problem at hand.

That was really how it was, though. Fuu was the practical one. Hikaru was the strength. And Umi was the emotional leg of their little tripod. Sooner or later, the whole of the story would be revealed. Of that, Hikaru had no doubts at all.

Her meanderings were interrupted when she heard a rumble outside. She stopped in her tracks and glanced out the window to her immediate right. She frowned. That didn't sound like thunder, though her first thought was that it was Malia's doing. Though she had never been afraid of storms before, their encounters with Malia's powers had made her a bit jumpy about such things—

The window exploded, along with a good portion of the wall around it.

Hikaru thought she screamed, but she wasn't completely sure. Well-honed instinct kicked in, and instinct said to move. She flung herself to the side, hitting the ground and rolling in a desperate attempt to avoid the flying shower of broken stone and shattered glass raining into the hallway. She managed to avoid the brunt of it, though she was pelted by debris and felt the definite sting of glass shards cutting through her clothes and into her skin. She gasped as she jumped to her feet; pressing her hand against the ground left a bloody mark on the polished stone floor. A quick movement of all her limbs proved that she was relatively uninjured, save for cuts and bruises. All things considered, that was not too bad.

"Hikaru," an icy female voice said. "I thought that was you."

The voice was familiar, though the tone was not. Hikaru tensed. "Kagura…"

As the cloud of dust and debris cleared, the speaker took solid form. Hikaru was right; it was Kagura, standing proudly in armor that was a replica of Hikaru's own save for color. The black ovum-gem on her hand was prominently displayed with her arms folded. There was another girl with her, standing over her shoulder; this one was wearing silver and black, and had a shock of long white hair.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Kagura said with deceptive pleasantness.

In a flare of red light, Hikaru's sword was in her hand. "What are you doing here?" she asked, unsure of what she should do. Should she attack and risk injuring Kagura? Granted, if she was injured she could be taken more easily, as they had done with Malia. But could she really hurt Kagura like that?

"Judging by the look on your face, I would say that you're trying to decide whether or not to fight me, or whether or not you could hurt me," Kagura said, perfectly echoing Hikaru's thoughts at that moment. "Well, if it's all right, let me go ahead and make that decision for you." She held out her hand and murmured something under her breath.

And Hikaru was stunned when a shadow swelled at her feet, wrapped around her, and threw her before she even had a second to blink. She flew several meters and hit the floor and slid across the smooth surface of it, jumping back to her feet as soon as she had her wits back about her, still clutching her sword. "You're here for Malia," she said. It was a statement, not a question. "I won't let you."

"Cristal," Kagura said, directing the name to the girl standing behind her, who had neither moved nor spoken thus far in the encounter. "Go find Malia. Bring her back. And hurry. I'll handle things here." There was a burst of shadow, and her sword was in her hand. "We must not keep Sorilbran waiting."

That name again…

That horrible name. She didn't even know very much about the man, but Hikaru already knew that she hated him for what he had done. Injuries to herself could be forgiven. But offenses committed against her friends were crimes beyond forgiveness.

Cristal nodded and ran without a word. Hikaru would have made a move to stop her if Kagura hadn't jumped in her path and attacked, leaving Hikaru with only one option: to defend herself. As far as swordplay went, they were relatively even. But if magic was introduced into this fight…

Hikaru wasn't sure she would have a chance. Still, giving up was not an option. She had a duty to perform. She reached with her mind. _"Rayearth! They're here! Now!"_

**_"It has been done,"_** was all he said, and she knew the message was being relayed to her teammates.

"Unfortunately, my dear Hikaru," Kagura said smoothly, studying the blade of her sword, "I really do need to end this quickly. I have a traitor to recover, and a Magic Knight to kill." She regarded Hikaru with a much harder gaze. "And if you are going to get between myself and Umi, then I'm afraid that I will have to do the same to you."

Hikaru swallowed hard and steeled herself. "Bring it on."

**_-o-_**

When the crash rocked the Palace, Umi immediately rushed from her room. Her own thoughts would have to wait. She had more important things to do—protect Caliana. Protect Malia. Protect her friends.

She tore through the corridors, heading towards the room where they had left Malia. She had to get there before whoever had attacked did. In her haste, she rushed past members of the Guard, soldiers and pages, all rushing about in a panic to try and ready themselves for the attack and what they were sure would be a battle.

And when Selece had barked into her mind, he passed along a message from Hikaru via Rayearth. The enemy had entered the Palace, and they were after Malia, who they called traitor. There were two of them: Kagura and another girl. Expect a fight.

Still, she didn't exactly expect to nearly trip over a girl wearing a Magic Knight's armor. This girl appeared to be about her own age, with snow-white hair and steel-gray eyes that narrowed when she saw Umi. "You," she breathed. One hand moved to her silver-gray ovum-gem and drew her sword. "The Knight of Selece. This will be a good fight."

Umi's own sword was already in her hand. "I'm afraid I don't know you."

"My name is Cristal. Knight of Hadrian. Remember it well," she said before she attacked. She hacked at Umi a few times with her sword before grinning. "And remember the pain."

And something hit Umi in the back, sending a scream from her lips and a lance of pain through her body. A glance around through watery eyes showed a torrent of spears flying by her. They were clear, sparkling in the light from the torches, and looked to be made of either ice or glass. Judging by the nature of a Magic Knight's power, she decided them to be ice.

And they hurt.

_Stupid! Not paying attention!_ Umi berated herself, calling water to shield herself from another torrent of those same ice shards. So it was to be a fight of magic, then. She just had to be careful and make sure that no one else wandered in. Let no innocent be caught in the crossfire—

A boy of perhaps nine or ten, clad in the blue uniform of a Palace page, came flying into view, obviously trying to flee from the very kind of fight he had inadvertently wandered into. He stood there, frozen, staring back and forth between the two women.

Umi saw Cristal smirk. And she saw her hand move—

—there was no time, she had to go—

—and Umi pushed the page, sending him skidding to the floor as the attack hit. This was one large chunk of ice, though, the end as sharp as a sword. There was no question that it would have killed the boy had it hit its true mark.

Instead, it hit Umi, plunging straight through her shoulder and sending her flying backwards, where it embedded in the wall behind her.

She was pinned.

And all she could do was gasp and wonder why this didn't hurt as much as she thought it should, and oh look at the red blood on her armor that would just never do and really why didn't this hurt and there was Cristal and oh god she was going to attack again…

"It's a pity for you, but I can't let you die," Cristal said calmly. "You are not mine to kill."

And she threw the ice shards at her immobile target, and all Umi could do was cringe and wince as the sharp edges sliced at her. She couldn't even summon up the energy or coherency to scream.

**_-o-_**

Fuu had returned to Malia's room that morning, again bearing food and an interest in conversation. And as she had done before, she sat with the prisoner while she ate, and they talked of various things. She learned a bit more of Malia, though there wasn't a great deal to learn; the girl had no memories of anything prior to her falling in with Sorilbran and her teammates, Cristal and Nairi.

As they were going about it, a loud crashing explosion shook the room.

Fuu was on her feet, her sword in her hand in a heartbeat. But just as quickly, she remembered her promise to keep Malia safe, and found herself torn. Should she go to find out what was going on? Or should he stay here to protect the prisoner? But the question was answered for her when Windam popped into her mind and delivered a message. They were here for Malia. She would stay—

…and then Selece spoke up. Umi was in terrible danger.

What should have been an easy decision had just been shot in the foot. What to do now…

A hand touched her arm, and she glanced up at Malia in surprise. "What?"

"There's trouble, right?" she said quietly. "Go help your friends."

"But—"

Malia shook her head. "Leave me here. There are shields on the room, right? That should keep them out for at least a little bit. Judging by your face, your friends need you a great deal more than I do right now. So go to them and help them."

Fuu wavered a moment longer before deciding that Malia was right. If Hikaru and Umi were lost now…then there would be no one to protect anyone at all. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Stay safe until then," she said, hurrying out the door and locking the door behind her. The walls seemed to waver as the shields set back into place.

Now alone, Malia sat down on the bed to wait. There wasn't a great deal more that she could really do at the moment. But who had been sent, she wondered? Kagura, probably. That would give her a chance to get at Umi as well. But would they really send her alone? It stood to reason that they would send at least one of the others to go with her—

Malia gasped, almost a scream, as a sharp pain lanced through her chest, and she nearly toppled forward from the force of it. She lurched to her feet and stood hunched over in the middle of the room, clutching at her chest as she panted for air. What was happening?

She became aware of something nearby, and she turned her head slowly to see who or what it was. And her eyes widened as she stepped backwards, a horrified, "No…" escaping her lips as she watched the shadows creep along the walls of her prison. _"Shadow…"_

**_-o-_**

It didn't take Fuu too long to find Umi. She was in the hallway, pinned to the wall by a shard of ice that had gone through her shoulder and into the wall behind her. She was covered with cuts and gashes, and soaked in her own blood, and staring straight ahead with empty eyes. For one sickening moment, Fuu wondered if she was too late.

But no. She could see movement. As long as Umi was alive, she could pull her back. But first—

A screamed command send the Emerald Typhoon flying at the white-haired Knight who was attacking Umi. Her magic found its mark, but the enemy Knight was quick to respond with an assault of her own, reminiscent of Alcyone's attacks. Fuu dodged, and when she looked up, the white-haired Knight was tearing past her. Fortunately, she wasn't going down the right hallway; the corridor she had chosen to race down was not the hallway where Malia was. That meant there was at least a little time.

Fuu moved quickly, ignoring the blood running down her cheek from a deep cut there. It took a bit of thinking, but she used the wind magic to actually cut through the ice shard. And it hurt her to do it, but she gritted her teeth and pulled Umi away from the wall and off the shard. That earned a scream, and she hated herself for doing it. But it accomplished what it need to, and Umi was free. From there, it took a mere casting of magic to save her.

Umi blinked at her owlishly for a moment. "There was a boy here…would have killed him…" she murmured, climbing to her feet. "Didn't have time to do anything else…oh god, where's Hikaru?" Suddenly wide awake, Umi glanced around in a panic. But before Fuu could answer, Umi rushed on. "You go back to Malia. You've got to protect her, right? I'll go help Hikaru."

Fuu swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay. Be safe!"

"You too," Umi said. They high-fived and parted ways, Fuu tearing back towards Malia's room.

**_-o-_**

Fuu hadn't expected to see anything of great importance or alarm when she returned. The room was locked and shielded, which should have kept the average magical and physical attacks out for the length of time she had been gone. Malia should still be safe.

Instead, she opened the door and found a room that seemed to have been painted in shadows. The walls and floor and ceiling were welled up in darkness, and Malia was…

Malia was on the opposite side of the room, her back to the wall. She stared at Fuu with hollow eyes, not really seeming to see anything at all. And the shadows reached from the wall in long wispy tendrils, wrapping around Malia's arms and legs and torso; one was even snaking its way around her throat. She was half covered by the shadowy fingers, and made no move to run away from them.

"Malia!" Fuu cried in alarm.

She got no reply. Malia almost looked to be in a trance, her face unmoving and her eyes void of light or expression. She was simply standing there, as though waiting for this inevitable fate. It looked like she was just going to let herself be taken away by this darkness, this…

Shadow.

Fuu felt her breath catch. Was this…?

It couldn't be.

Still, she needed to do something, or else Malia would be lost. "Malia!" she called again, moving into the room. She felt a burning sensation in her legs as the same arms of darkness reached up and grasped at them, but she ignored it. "Malia, you have to snap out of it!"

When she still didn't get an answer, she decided to take a risk. She called her magic and cast it. It cut Malia's arm, drawing blood, and finally got a reaction. She winced and gasped at the injury, and shook herself and seemed to finally realize exactly where she was. Her eyes widened, now full of a single definitive emotion: horror. "F-Fuu…"

"Give me your hand!" Fuu ordered, reaching towards her.

"I c-can't…" Malia said, looking down. "Even if my arms were free, I can't. I did such horrible things, to you and your friends. I helped with those plans. I kidnapped Kagura. Perhaps…perhaps this is the best way for me to repent for those. If I'm taken by the Shadow…wouldn't that be a sufficient penance?"

"Malia…" Fuu said. "…you COWARD!" She spat the last word out.

The look she got in response was definitely stunned. "Wh-what?"

"You're just giving up?" Fuu shouted, finally giving her own feelings over everything an escape valve. "You think that's going to make anything right? It won't! You'll be dead, and we'll be in exactly the same situation we were before! This is the coward's way out! If you really want to make things right and repent for what you did, then you need to live!" She thrust her hand out to the girl once again. "You need to live and help us stop what's going to happen! If you die…" She bit her lip. "Please don't let yourself die like this, Malia. You're worth a lot more than that."

Malia stared at her…and a single tear ran down her cheek. "Fuu…"

"Give me your hand. Fight it!" Fuu said. "Malia!"

At long last, the fire seemed to light under Malia, and she started to struggle against the darkness that held her. After a moment, she managed to wrench one arm free and reach for Fuu's hand, catching it and holding on desperately. The darkness, meanwhile, seemed to realize that it was in danger of losing its prey and reacted, sending more tendrils to pull at both of them.

Fuu managed to get both of Malia's hands in her own, and pulled desperately, ignoring the shadows that were trying to creep up her legs and around her own body. "We won't give up," she said through gritted teeth, feeling a bead of sweat run down the back of her neck. "No matter what happens, we won't give into the darkness. That is a true Magic Knight's way."

"A true…Magic Knight…" Malia murmured the words.

"Didn't you know?" Fuu said, managing a smile through her red-faced exertion. "Magic Knights are not of the Dark. We are of the Light. And even if we slip and fall and falter sometimes, we'll always find our way out of the darkness." Was it just her imagination, or were the shadows loosening their hold. "So don't give into the darkness, Malia. Come to the light. I think you'll be happier here."

There was a moment where everything seemed to freeze…

And then suddenly she was pulling Malia to her, away from those shadows. And the room seemed to grow a great deal brighter, though whether it was from Fuu or Malia herself or some other as-yet unknown source, she was not sure. But as they will always do, the shadows fled before the light.

Malia slumped into Fuu's arms, gasping for air. "They let go…" she breathed. "They r-really let go…" She slid to the floor, aided by Fuu, and sat there, still clutching at Fuu's hands as she trembled at how close she had really come to being devoured. "I d-didn't think Shadow would ever let go…"

"He doesn't."

The voice from the door was an unfamiliar one, and female. Fuu immediately jumped to her feet and whirled around, her sword in her hand; in her haste to get to Malia, she had left the door to the room wide open. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins, and she was trembling from it and from the excitement of what she had just seen and survived and accomplished. Whoever was there held no fear for her at the moment.

It was the same white-haired girl who had been attacking Umi. She was leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed. "Malia, Malia, Malia," she shook her head. "What did you think you were doing?"

"Cristal…" Malia said, using the bed to pull herself up onto shaky legs.

"You need to come back with me, one way or the other," the girl, Cristal, said, stepping through the opening in the shields and into the room. "It will be easier for both of us if you do so without resistance. You understand, I know. And as for you," she regarded Fuu with a cold look, "I advise you not to interfere. If you insist on doing so, I will have to hurt you." Her icy gaze turned to a bit of a smirk. "Just as I handled your friend."

"I don't think so," Fuu growled, steeling herself to fight.

But they were both startled when Malia stepped in between them. She looked awful, pale and trembling, but she stood upright and addressed Cristal. "The only way I would go back with you is if Kagura is released from Sorilbran's influence," she said in a surprisingly strong voice.

"Malia, what are you saying?" Cristal said, stunned. "There is no way that—"

"If she goes through with Sorilbran's plan, she will die!" Malia said desperately. "She'll be a sacrifice to the monster, and then there will be nothing but darkness. Light will be gone. And Kagura will DIE."

Fuu watched Cristal's reaction carefully, and found that there was no mistaking the shock there at Malia's words. She didn't know either. None of them knew the true nature of the Promised and the Promised's fate, the role that Kagura had been either chosen or destined to fulfill.

"Y-you're lying," Cristal said, though she sounded a bit less confident this time. "They have filled your head with lies, and I will not just stand here and—" She started towards Fuu with her sword, but Malia moved to block her path, arms outstretched to prevent her from going too far.

"Cristal, I will not go back," she said softly. Now she sounded more like she was addressing a friend, rather than an enemy. "I'm not going back to that place and that life. I believe what Fuu says. And I like Kagura. I don't want her to die, not by my actions or anyone else's." She looked down. "I know I've done some horrible things, but if I go back with you, I'll probably be killed as a traitor. I know enough of Sorilbran to believe that. And if I die…then how can I make up for what I did? And besides," She glanced over her shoulder at Fuu to throw her a quick smile before she went on, "a true Magic Knight goes to the Light, not the Dark. So…I'm sorry, Cristal, but I can't go back with you. I won't go back. And you can tell Sorilbran that as well."

Cristal listened to this silently, her face expressionless. Then her eyes narrowed in what could only be called a dangerous expression. "Malia, you are making a terrible mistake."

"Then at least I am making the mistake on my own and of my own choice," she said. "And not because someone else ordered me to and I just blindly followed orders."

"Do you really think things will be any different for you here? With them?"

"Yes, I do!" Malia clenched her hands into fists. "When I was brought here, I was injured and unconscious. I don't remember any of what happened after I was hit. I just know that I full expected to wake up alone in some dungeon, alone and uncared for as nothing more than an enemy. What more should I expect? I was to be a prisoner. But I woke up here, in this room. And there was someone there to bring me food and conversation. This is hardly the terrible enemy Sorilbran described."

"Malia—"

"I've seen it for myself, and that's all I need. This is my decision, Cristal," she said.

Cristal sighed. "I know how you are when you get like this," she chuckled. "There's no reasoning with you when you've got yourself set on something. But I truly have no desire to hurt you, Malia, though it will probably bring a penalty down on my head."

Now Malia looked pained. "Cristal…"

"I will take your message to Sorilbran," she said, drawing her sword in a flash of gray light. "As this is the path you have chosen, it must be war between us from here onwards."

"I'm sorry, Cristal," Malia said softly, faltering for the first time. "But this is what I must do."

"…I understand," Cristal said, just as quietly. "And I'm sorry as well." She raised her sword, and gave Malia one last, sad smile. "Goodbye, Malia…my friend." She closed her eyes. "Hadrian!" And in a flash of silver-gray light, she was gone, leaving Fuu and Malia alone in the room.

**_-o-_**

Umi skidded onto the scene, her sword in her hand and her heart already somewhere down around her shoes. She had a sickening feeling as to what she was going to find, and it was one of those moments when she desperately hated being right.

Hikaru was fighting Kagura. And to her credit, the lithe Knight of Rayearth was holding her own against an opponent who was far more powerful, judging by the damage done to the hallway, courtesy of magical attacks. But Hikaru was holding on, and now she had backup.

"Kagura!" Umi barked, hardening her expression.

There was a pause before Kagura turned around. "Umi. So it is you," she said, her own face darkening. "I was hoping I'd find you. I believe we have something to settle."

"You have something you want to settle with me, it seems," Umi said in a level voice. "I admit that I don't quite understand what that something is, though. Feel free to enlighten me."

"I think you already know," Kagura growled, raising a hand. "So let's cut the pleasantries and get right to the part where I destroy you." The darkness moved around her, and Umi had to fling herself to the side to dodge it, and the fight was rejoined as both Hikaru and Umi worked together to try and drive Kagura back, both by magic and by the sword.

In spite of everything, Umi did have to admit that she was incredibly impressed. Kagura had always been amazing with a sword in her hand, as she knew from their days spent together on their high school fencing team. And the girl knew how to fight, both with and without a blade. But now, with the Escudo sword of a Magic Knight in her hand and incredible magic at her disposal to put behind her sword and augment her physical attacks, and no qualms about injuring another person…

She was a frightening force to behold.

And Umi had no doubts that if they were to face off, one against one, she would lose, and lose badly.

Still, there was a definite pattern: she was focusing her magic more on keeping Hikaru shoved off to the side, which proved effective enough. Hikaru was busily having to counter-attack with fire just to defend herself. This left Kagura free to attack Umi with her sword. Somehow, that made sense to her, though. If Kagura was so intent on killing her, it would probably be much more satisfying to do it with her own hands and her own sword, rather than by any magical means.

Either way, the thought terrified her.

If Kagura did kill her, or any of them, and then was somehow released from this spell? It would destroy her. But even if she didn't wake up, she was still going to willingly (or unknowingly) walk into the jaws of death at the hands of a mashin. Either way, she couldn't let Kagura win this fight or any other fight.

For Kagura's own sake.

And then suddenly the status quo shifted.

And for once, it was shifting in Umi's favor.

A large sword that she recognized instantly came crashing down on Kagura's blade. It seemingly came out of nowhere, and took her completely by surprise; her sword was knocked from her hand and skidded across the floor. Before she could move to retrieve it, Hikaru attacked with fire to send her diving out of the way.

The sword that had disarmed Kagura was wielded by Ferio. And Lantis was standing behind him, weapon drawn, with Hikaru beside him. And none of them looked particularly happy.

"It's four against one now, Kagura," Umi said softly, lowering her own sword in what could potentially be called a very stupid move. "Would you please stop this? Or at least tell me why you're so determined to kill me? Because I don't know why."

Kagura made a tsk-ing sound and held out her hand. "Well, it would seem that I've been outnumbered. And I am not so foolhardy as to not know when I'm going to lose. So it would seem that this fight goes to you, Umi, and your darling little friends from Cephiro." The sword slid across the floor and jumped into Kagura's hand. "And it would seem that Cristal has failed as well. So I shall leave, empty-handed. But I challenge you to follow me, Umi. And face me on your own, if you have the courage. You coward."

"Before you go, hear this," Umi said, her tone flat and emotionless. "I will fight you, Kagura. As many times as I need to. And if I have to do something drastic to save you…I will."

"To save me?" Kagura barked a laugh. "That's rich. I don't need to be saved."

"If you continue to do this, you'll die. You'll become a sacrifice. That is the purpose of the Promised," Umi said. "You can't awaken the beasts of Light and Dark. It will ultimately cost you your life if you do."

"Oh, Umi. You are so naïve," Kagura laughed and tossed her hair back as a large black shape arose in the sky behind her, its silhouette filling the gaping hole in the wall behind her. "I've already done it." She glanced back at the mass, smirking. "Right, Tynan?"

Enormous red eyes flared, as if to agree.

"Until we meet again," Kagura said, ignoring Umi's cry of protest. She raised her sword aloft. "Tynan." The shadows swirled around her, and she was gone. The massive form, a mashin, turned and flew up into the sky, and was gone.

"Dammit!" Umi cursed, throwing her sword to the ground for a lack of anything else to hit or throw. It clattered against the ground and skidded away. She grudgingly picked it up and examined it; as she had expected, it was completely unharmed from the results of her short tantrum.

"How did you know we needed help?" Hikaru asked, throwing her arms around Lantis' waist.

"This kid showed up while we were working the Guard and said we should get over here fast," Ferio said, shouldering his broadsword and gesturing towards a child in a blue uniform, who was watching the whole thing by peering around the corner.

"You…" Umi was startled to recognize the young blonde boy in the page's uniform as the one that she had taken the ice shard through the shoulder to protect.

"I w-went to find them, lady," he said, looking down at the ground. "I th-thought that since they were from Cephiro and knew of magic, they c-could h-help you fight…" He looked like he thought there would be some sort of penalty for interfering in the matter, but he added, "After you s-saved me, lady…c-couldn't just sit and d-do nothing…"

Umi smiled and bent down, putting one hand to his cheek. "Thank you." And she pressed a chaste kiss to his other cheek, causing the poor boy to blush furiously and mumble something about having one for the other side, if it pleased lady? She mustered up a laugh and obliged him.

**_-o-_**

"Lord Sorilbran!" Cristal tore into the room where the Master of Illusion always kept his counsel. Before he could even question her, she went on in a rush. "My lord, it's Malia! We couldn't recover her! She refused to come back! She says she will stay there! With them!"

Sorilbran took the news quietly. He gazed down at the polished stone that was his constant companion before he spoke again. "I am extremely disappointed, Cristal, that you were not able to do what I had instructed and bring our Malia back to us. And I am afraid that there must be punishment."

The Knight of Hadrian was so intent on his terrifying words that she did not notice another presence in the room. "My lord, please! I beg you to forgive me. I am so sorry!" She wrung her hands together, deciding to ask. If she was already to be punished, now was the time to do it. "My lord…is it true that if Kagura goes on with the legend of the Promised, she will be kil—"

That was as far as she got before a sword came through her chest.

Cristal gasped and let out a muffled scream that escaped as little more than a squeak. She looked down at the tip of the sword, protruding from her armor. Strange…her armor wasn't supposed to be red. That was Rayearth's color, not Hadrian's…

"But I daresay, Cristal, that you will serve one final purpose to me," Sorilbran said with a cold smile. "And yes, my dear little fool. The legend of the Promised is true."

The realization hit her in the instant before she died, but it was too late. She could only manage a soft gurgling noise. The sword impaling her tilted downward, and a foot pressed against her back to push her off, sending her to the floor in a heap.

She did not move again.

"Clean work as always," Sorilbran commented.

Aeric studied the bloody blade of his sword and offered a smile of his own. "Thank you, my lord." A spattering of footsteps became audible in the corridor, and he quickly sheathed his sword to hide the evidence before reaching down to pick up the body. And when Nairi hurried in, the general looked for all the world like he was cradling Cristal's unmoving form in a motion of mourning.

"My lord, we have news that—" Nairi started to speak, but stopped cold when she saw the figure in Aeric's arms. "C-Cristal?" She stumbled towards them, gasping when she saw the blood, and reaching out. "N-no, that's impossible. That can't be…" She let out a short bark of a laugh, her fingers finding the dead girl's hair. "This is a joke, right?" She looked at Sorilbran entreatingly. "My lord?"

"I'm afraid it is no joke, Nairi," he shook his head sadly. "Cristal has been taken from us."

Nairi looked back down at the body, and for a moment she looked as though she would break down into tears. Her entire body was shaking. But she whipped back around, her face a mask of rage and her eyes blazing with tears that she stalwartly refused to shed. "Who did this?" she growled. "Who is responsible for this? I swear, I will make them pay—"

"The Magic Knights of Cephiro," Sorilbran said. "Umi, the Knight of Selece, killed Cristal."

"Umi…" Nairi repeated the name. Her hands clenched into fists.

"I warned you, child, that they were your enemies. And now poor Cristal has died by their hand," the Master of Illusion said. He sounded for all the world like a parent talking to a confused child.

"I will kill her myself," Nairi snarled. "I don't care what Kagura says! I will be the one to avenge Cristal."

Sorilbran nodded approvingly. "Excellent. And destroy those who get in your way." He glanced down at the stone once more. "Perhaps I will assist you this time, Nairi."

She was momentarily startled out of her rage. "M-my lord?"

"I have shown them more than enough examples of my power. And now I think that it is high time," he said with a sneer, "that I went and visited the Magic Knights of Cephiro in person."

**_-o-_**

"Is she going to be all right?" Michiko asked quietly, looking as Fuu used her magic to heal Malia's injuries. The poor girl was still unconscious, though that was probably for the best given everything that had happened today.

"I think so. But it's strange," Fuu said, watching as the wounds vanished beneath the glimmer of her magic. "Usually when I heal someone, they wake up very quickly. But she always sleeps for a bit longer after I do it. I wonder why that is."

"Everyone is different," Michiko offered. "Though I agree. Most people should wake up very soon after being healed by a power such as yours. It was the same way when I was the one doing the healing. But whether or not it means anything? I'm not entirely sure on that."

Fuu made a small sound that might have been agreement at that statement and turned back to look at the unconscious Malia, her eyes distant and thoughtful. "So strange…so very strange…"

Suddenly her eyes widened, and she looked back at Michiko, then again at Malia. Her head swiveled back and forth between the two of them several times, her eyes growing wider and more horrified with each pass. Then she looked down at her own hands. "Oh my god, it can't be…" She stood up and took several steps backwards, away from the bed. "I-it just can't be…"

"Fuu?" Michiko said, alarmed. "Fuu, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I figured it out. I know what it is," Fuu said in a rush. "Ever since I first saw her, I couldn't shake the feeling that something about her didn't seem quite right. It's been bothering me ever since, but I couldn't figure out what it was. God, I'm such an idiot! How could I not see what was right in front of me?" She ran one agitated hand through her blonde hair and shook her head. "Where was my brain?"

"Fuu, what is it? What happened?" Michiko asked, half-begging.

"When we first got here, I was pulled into the Other-realm, remember?" Fuu asked.

Michiko nodded. "Yes, I remember that very well."

"And after I came out of there, I could see people's life-energy or life-force or whatever you want to call it," Fuu went on. "I could see that glow around any living person, right? And you and Sachi and Amaya don't have that glow because you're already dead."

"Yes…"

Fuu dropped back into her chair and looked down for a moment before she spoke, her voice tight.

"…Malia doesn't have it either."

That stopped Michiko cold. "What?"

"She doesn't have it. That glow. There's nothing. It's exactly like you," Fuu said. "When I asked if it was possible to mask something like that, I was told no. It can be dampened, but not completely hidden. Anyone with the power, like me, would be able to see it at least somewhat. But with Malia…there's nothing there. Nothing at all. No trace whatsoever."

Michiko shook her head. "But that means…"

Fuu looked up at her and nodded. "Based on what I know…it means that Malia is not alive."

* * *

**PS.** _And we finally get to the points I've been waiting all bloody story to introduce! (FLOPS OVER AND DIES) Gaaaaaah! …temper tantrum? Me? Perish the thought! But yes, we are approaching the big honkin' finale. And we have also reached the only chapter in my outline that is not completely fleshed out. So I need to do that before I can write the chapter x.x Ack._

_All right, enough of my babbling. Thanks for reading, all! Much love!_


	13. The Stage is Set

**AN: **Notes are at the end. I don't own MKR, it belongs to CLAMP!

**The Stage is Set**

**_"Hadrian has disappeared."_**

Malia's head snapped back instinctively as Galen's voice came, unbidden, into her mind. "What? What do you mean, he disappeared?"

**_"He has vanished, Malia. He is gone."_**

The words registered, but they did not make any sense. "I do not understand," she said, realizing that Fuu was giving her a knowing look; another Magic Knight would understand better than anyone what it truly meant when one appeared to be having a conversation with thin air. "How could a mashin simply disappear?"

**_"A mashin will vanish from this plane when there is no Magic Knight to hold him there," _**was the simple, intent-laden reply.

This time it took her a moment to grasp exactly what she was being told. "Wait. Galen. If Hadrian is gone, then…" she shook her head, "…then what has become of Cristal?" When there was no response, she asked again. "Galen, what happened to Cristal?" She felt Fuu move behind her and a hand touch her shoulder, but kept her eyes towards the ceiling; it was silly, to be sure, but it made a strange sort of sense, at least to her.

Another of those pregnant pauses that seemed to say so much more than mere words ever could. Then Galen spoke again. **_"A mashin leaves this plane if there is no Magic Knight to hold him there by the bond their hearts share. If Hadrian has vanished, then your Cristal is gone."_**

"Gone? How can she be gone?" Malia said, her voice rising in pitch.

Galen did not answer, and that said everything.

Ignoring Fuu's start of surprise, Malia let her knees give out and slid to the floor. "But…but this is impossible," Malia whispered. She looked up once again. "Galen! Was this a natural happening, or is there more to it?" Her words came out in, quite possibly, the most demanding tone she had ever used, particularly when addressing her mashin, her most trusted partner.

Galen was not forthcoming with an immediate answer; she could actually feel his hesitation in her mind as he seemed to weight whether or not to be completely truthful with her. In the end, he replied with four words that said everything she needed to know and confirmed all that she had suspected since coming here and seeing the true nature of their so-called enemy.

**_"It was not natural."_**

**_-o-_**

"Is everyone all right?" Caliana gingerly stepped over and around the rubble that was liberally strewn across the palace corridor as she sought a path to her friends. "Good heavens, it is no wonder that the Guard was in such an uproar…"

"I do not think that our uproar is uncalled for, Caliana," Kannon said delicately, following closely on her heels.

"We're all fine," Hikaru waved a hand. "Fuu's magic is pretty powerful stuff when it comes to taking care of injuries. I just wish we could say the same for the wall. It's not in very good shape."

"Walls can be rebuilt. Lives are not so easy," Caliana said simply.

Kannon nodded. "We have rebuilt our walls before, and we shall do it again."

A bit further down the hall, Umi waved at them. "I think we're okay now," she said. "There doesn't seem to be any permanent damage, so I suggest finding some workers to get this wall rebuilt as soon as possible." She hesitated, then added, "I don't know how solid of a protection these walls really offer anymore, but better to have them anyway, right?"

Caliana nodded, seeming to sense the potential hidden meaning in Umi's careful choice of words: _The Palace was no longer entirely safe._ But the Princess merely accepted it quietly and said, "The masons are already gathering their tools. It will be fixed as soon as possible." She managed a chuckle. "I imagine that things are not fixed in this manner in Cephiro?"

Umi was confused for a moment, but then she remembered that magic was all but non-existent in Aldarba. In Cephiro, magic was not precisely common, but there was enough of it that calling it a rarity would be untrue. "I suppose…" the Knight of Selece frowned. "Though I don't think they rely on magic for everything. It would be silly. Some things have to be fixed by human hands, not magical powers."

Caliana looked uncomfortable for a moment before she said, tentatively, "…Umi, I wish to ask you a question. You know more of magic and spells than I do, and so I thought you might know."

"Go on."

"…I have dreamt of things," she said, moving one hand in the air, as though trying to figure out how to word her thoughts. "The night before you came here, I dreamt of fire and a shower of stones. Three nights ago, I dreamt of two great hounds, one black and one white, each trying to destroy the other. I also saw a girl standing between them."

Umi was startled. "That…sounds almost like foresight," she said.

"Foresight?"

"I guess you could say that it's knowing things before they happen. Precognition might be another way to put it," Umi ran her fingers through her bangs. "Does this happen often?"

"I dream of things, and they come to pass. It does not happen terribly often, but now and again," the Princess shifted. "It is hard to explain."

"Have there been any other dreams?" Kannon interjected, and the girls jumped. They had all but forgotten his quiet presence.

"One other. And it frightens me," she said honestly. "I see myself. I am in the dark, and no matter how far I walk, there is no end to it. I am trapped in it. It is getting harder and harder to breathe."

"…Caliana…" Umi said, "…you might have magic and just not know it."

"That is unlikely, but it has been frequent enough that I wondered," she said with a wave of her hand. "I apologize. I know that this is not the time to be asking, but it kept slipping my mind."

"It's all right," Umi said softly, vowing to look more into the matter at the next possible moment. Fuu had made a comment about something she had discovered in her reading: magic was almost extinct in Aldarba, but it was known to appear when it was needed. If Caliana was having foretelling dreams…

Fuu chose that moment to reappear with Malia trailing behind her. The Knight of Storms was staying close to Fuu, and kept her gaze down, her hands clasped in front of her. "The rest of the Palace seems to be all right," Fuu reported. "I think this was their only entry point. Well, the only physical entry point, at least."

Behind her, Malia shivered as she recalled the entity that had made its way to her and its decidedly less than physical nature. "Shadow…" That, plus Galen's sudden announcement of Cristal's demise and its unnatural nature…she was feeling very shaky, to put it mildly.

"You'll be fine," Fuu said with all the firm comfort of a parent reassuring a frightened child. "Ferio is in council with the King. Ascot is helping the Guard survey they area by having one of his friends allow him to act as eyes in the sky. And Lantis is in contact with Clef in Cephiro. The situation is escalating, and we need to be prepared for whatever it is that's going to be coming at us."

Umi looked as though she had a reply for Fuu, but her eyes kept straying to Malia, and finally she spoke directly to the young woman. "What's bothering you?"

There was a pause before Malia said bluntly, "Cristal is dead." There was a collective start of surprise from the others, and she went on, "Galen told me that Hadrian disappeared. A mashin who has bonded to a Magic Knight will only leave this plane when that bond is gone. And Galen said that her death was not natural." She shuddered. "And I don't believe that it was an accident. I know too much now to think that."

"…you think they killed her?" Hikaru said incredulously. "But why?"

"Because she failed to bring me back?" Malia burst out, dropping her face into her hands. "I do not know, but it is entirely possible that her death is my fault because I would not go back…"

"It's not your fault," Fuu said in that same firm voice. "You have no control over what they do. And having dealt with Aeric in the past…well, he is very capable of it. He's capable of just about anything, really."

"I fear for Nairi, and for Kagura," Malia said, her words muffled as her face remained hidden by her fingers. "Nairi's loyalty to Sorilbran is unwavering. She would only accept his treason if he stabbed her himself, I'm sure. And Kagura…" she sighed, "…Kagura has been subverted. I am not sure quite how he managed it, but while her actions may seem to be of her own free will, it is as far from reality as you can get. His hold on her is iron, and she will do as he wishes." There was a pause before she added in the softest of voices, "Even if it means her death."

Umi let out an involuntary cry at those last words, and Hikaru put a hand on her arm. "She is NOT going to die. We'll do whatever it takes to save her, and stop this from happening."

"It may be too late."

They all stared at Malia. "What do you mean?" Caliana asked.

"…I mean that the battle between Light and Dark might already be set in motion," the Knight of Galen said miserably. "Kagura has taken her mashin. They have bonded, and he has accepted her. That is the Beast of the Dark."

"…which means that the Beast of the Light has also awakened?" Fuu said. She raised one hand to massage the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "They will fight, and possibly destroy everything while they're at it. Correct?"

Malia nodded; she looked absolutely miserable. "I am sorry…I didn't know any of this when I helped to—"

"Malia, you're being too hard on yourself," Umi tried to interject.

She was cut off when Malia sobbed out, "No, you don't understand. I'm the one who took Kagura in the first place. I'm the one who attacked you outside of that building. I was controlling the illusion fire that went after you. Sorilbran granted me that power. He was the one who disguised me with one of his illusions. All of this is my fault…" That last ended on a sob.

The Magic Knights and the Princess of Aldarba stared at her, then glanced at each other. None of them knew exactly what to say to that. Finally, Fuu swallowed hard and opened her mouth, looking a bit unsure of herself. "Malia, we—LOOK OUT!"

She saw the movement out of the corner of her eye, and realized what it's target was at the very last moment before it struck, but she cried out too late to prevent it from happening.

Shadows shot from the sky beyond the gaping hole in the Palace wall, reaching and twisting and bending like long, grabbing fingers. They shot towards Malia, as though to grab her—

--and went right past her.

And wrapped around Caliana.

The Princess was momentarily stunned, and that was all the time the fingers needed to pull her clean off her feet and into the air, up towards the sky.

"CALIANA!" the name tore from Kannon's throat in a hoarse, horrified cry. His sword was already in his hand, and he was charging towards the hole in the wall without any sort of a plan or any thought as to his own safety.

A bolt of something dark hit him square in the chest and slammed him backwards into the opposite wall hard enough to crack the plaster and stone. He dropped to the floor, his head lulling forward against the breastplate of his armor, and he did not move.

Fuu was at his side in a heartbeat, already calling her healing spell while Umi and Hikaru drew their swords. "So this is it," Umi said in a voice as cold as any of Cristal's spells. "This is how they will lure us out."

"We have to help Caliana," Hikaru said.

A voice came to them—Kagura's voice. "If you wish to save your princess, you will have to come and get her." A dry chuckle. "And I promise that she won't be in another castle."

In spite of the severity of their situation, Umi couldn't hold back a groan, nor could she keep herself from slapping a hand against her forehead. "You never could resist a video game joke." She glared up towards the sky. "Well, Kagura…all your base are belong to us. And yes, I hate myself for saying that."

"Quaint as always," Kagura replied. "We are waiting." And there was a popping noise, and they knew that the connection that allowed them to speak to her was gone.

Fuu was cradling a groaning Kannon against her shoulder. "He'll be fine. He just needs a moment to get back on his feet." When his eyes were open and he could sit on his own, Fuu rose and drew her own sword. "Let's go. This is it, whether we're ready or not."

"I'm leaning more towards not," Hikaru admitted, then started. "Malia? What are you doing?"

"I'm going with you," she said firmly, clutching her own sword tightly. "This is my fight too. If I can help you in some way…" She trailed off.

"I'll take the help," Umi said. "Let's go!"

"W-wait!" Kannon said, reaching after them. He was wrestling his way to his feet, using the wall as leverage.

"Go ahead," Fuu said. "I'll catch up." As the other two raced on ahead, she turned back to Kannon. "What is it?"

He pulled something from his armor and pressed it to her hand. "Please take this with you," he said. "I do not hold with superstition, but this was given to me by the Prin…by Caliana," he amended himself. "It is blessed. It will keep you safe."

"Are you sure you want me to take this?" Fuu asked, looking at the tiny pendant. It looked to be made of some sort of crystal that sparkled in the light and cast tiny rainbows on her hands.

"I have never sustained any serious injury while wearing it," he said. "Even after being thrown into a wall. I believe it works. And I wish for you to take it."

"All right," Fuu said, carefully tying the pendant to her armor. "Thank you very much. I'll bring this back to you, Kannon. I promise!"

"Please save her…" he said, looking the most pitiful she had ever seen him. "Please."

Fuu knew that she needed to go, and quickly, but she lingered a moment longer. "…Caliana really is very special to you, isn't she?"

Kannon visibly hesitated before whispering, "Yes…"

Fuu smiled. "We'll bring her back so you can tell her that yourself." And with that, she tore down the hallway, belatedly following in the footsteps of her two teammates. She had to get to Windam and go find out what was going on, and Kagura was—

A hand caught her arm as she sprinted, nearly taking her clean off her feet. She flailed a little bit and managed to keep her feet on the ground under her. She glanced up at the owner of the hand. "Oh…F-Ferio…"

"You're going into danger again, aren't you?" he said. It really wasn't a question so much as a statement.

"We're going to fight them and bring the Princess back," she said.

"…the power of will doesn't control the land here as it does in Aldarba," he said after a moment, drawing her to him. "But I still believe in you, and I believe that will bring you back to me."

She smiled and closed her eyes. "I know."

She needed to go, and she knew it; to take this moment and steal this kiss was almost unforgivably selfish given the awful circumstances. But somehow…she needed it.

It was all too possible that it could be the last one they would have.

**_-o-_**

It was not terribly difficult to find where they were to go. The clouds had appeared again, dark and thick and swirling in the sky far from the Palace and the capital. They headed there immediately, unsure of what exactly would be waiting for them.

"Malia, are you okay?" Hikaru asked. It was odd to have a fourth person floating along with them, adding a splash of bright yellow to the usual blue, green, and red.

"…I do not think that I will survive this encounter, Hikaru," Malia said after a moment. "And I know that any promise you might make to the contrary would be an empty one. But…I can't run away. This is what I have to do. I just have to hope that I can face my death with my head held high." She looked away, off to some point in the distance. "It's what Cristal would have done."

The brutal honesty of that stunned the three girls from Earth. Fuu managed a smile. "You really did care about Cristal a great deal, didn't you?"

"I was closer to her than I was to Nairi," Malia said softly. "Nairi's loyalty and focus was Sorilbran. That was all. We were her fellow fighters, and she trusted us as teammates. But I do think she cared about us in her own way. She just wasn't terribly good at showing it." Another glance to the side. "I wonder how she took the news of Cristal's death."

"Or how Sorilbran explained it," Hikaru added.

"Or how he twisted it. Any bets that he blamed us?" Umi said.

"I would be surprised if he did anything else. I suspect that even Nairi's loyalty has limits," Malia said.

They were nearing the site now, almost directly over it. It was still uncertain as to whether or not they would need to stay within their mashin for this fight or take to the ground with their weapons…

Something moved nearby. Something dark and fast and powerful—

And then Galen was flying across the sky, the motion cast by a power that was not his own. He had flown some distance at a very fast speed when there was a flash of darkness at his breast, where the heart would be. They heard Malia's scream of surprise, and saw her fly from her mashin, thrown from within him; she plummeted towards the ground in a manner reminiscent of something that had happened before, when Umi had been torn from Selece and flung to Sorilbran's palace to meet with Kagura for the first time as enemies.

There was no way that any of them could get to her in time to save her, but there was magic, and magic is what Fuu called and cast. A gust of wind caught the falling Knight in time to save her from the crushing force of a full impact, but chances were that it would still be a bit of a rough landing.

Hikaru was the first to voice what all three of them were already thinking. "We need to get down there. Now." There was no disagreement on this, and the three moved down towards the ground before leaving their mashin in a manner a bit more controlled than Malia's untimely entrance. Swords in hand and magic at the ready, they sprinted towards the place where they thought that she had landed.

They didn't get very far.

There was a rush of something moving up from the ground, dark tinged with maroon. It broke through the earth right in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. And just as suddenly it vanished, leaving a man standing there, blocking their path to Malia. He was thin, not the kind of person one would really notice in a crowd, and clad in scarlet. And he seemed eerily pleased to see them as he held his arms out to them in a strange gesture of greeting. "Welcome, legendary Magic Knights of Cephiro."

"Oh god, not this again…" Umi couldn't quite keep the grimace away. She had a name, and she was really starting to wish that people would actually use it. The whole 'lady Magic Knight' thing was beginning to wear on her nerves.

Fuu, on the other hand, was a bit more intent on their enemy. "…Sorilbran," she said after a moment.

"Oh, you did do this properly, didn't you?" he clapped his hands in a manner that could only be called effeminate. This man was, for lack of a better word, creepy. "Yes, I am Sorilbran. Master of Illusions. Welcome to our battleground, ladies."

"Where's Caliana?" Fuu demanded.

"The Princess? She is right here," he gestured over his shoulder as another rush of darkness shot from the ground. This one took form of a girl being held by tendrils, like thick vines cast in shadow. Caliana's head hung limply against her chest; she did not move.

"CALIANA!" Fuu called to her.

There was a very tense moment before Caliana stirred and lifted her head, opening her eyes sleepily. She seemed to mumble something before her eyes snapped wide open. "F-Fuu!" she called, starting to struggle against that which held her.

_Windam?_ Fuu asked.

**_"Leave it to us,"_** was the immediate reply, as though he had been anticipating the question. "**_Worry about him. He is powerful. And be cautious, Fuu. He is powerful."_**

No sooner had the last word echoed into her mind did something happen before them. A round light began to appear around Caliana like a bubble. It intensified quickly, and was white in color, alternating flashes of red, blue, and green. And then in a flash, both Caliana and the bubble vanished.

Sorilbran actually betrayed surprise. "What?"

"The mashin," Hikaru said. Chances were that she was having a little bit of a chat with Rayearth as all of this was happening. "They're taking your precious hostage back to the Palace. She's safe, and you don't have a human shield anymore."

To his dubious credit, Sorilbran recovered quickly. "To be honest, I have no further use for her. Take her, for all that I care," he said. "She has served her purpose. She brought you here. I knew you would come for her. And I am glad you made it—you are just in time for the show!"

"Show?" Hikaru asked.

"Yes, yes. You see, a great battle is finally going to decide a victor. And oh, Tynan and Amani have been waiting for this moment for eons," he said, gazing up towards the sky. "Here they come now. This will be a grand day, and a great fight."

The girls looked up towards the sky, and the clouds moving around in the air above them. For a brief moment, the entire world seemed to stand still, almost holding its breath in anticipation of something big about to come.

And come, it did.

The clouds parted slowly, and a large being descended from the heavens. It was enormous, long-legged, and black from head to foot, its four hooves stretching and kicking at the air as it slid from the clouds through empty space to land on the ground with a rumble that could surely be felt for miles. It pawed at the dirt and tossed its dark head with a sound that was somewhere between a roar and whinny. Its eyes were red, and blazing like fire.

"A stag…?" Fuu murmured. It certainly looked like one, save for a lack of antlers. What was it…?

But there was little time to ponder it further, as there was another rumble, and another parting of the clouds a short distance away. The being (a mashin, of that they were sure) that slid from the heavens this time was of the same size and same shape. But this one's color was of the purest white, and the eyes were bluer than any of Umi's spells.

They didn't exactly looked like legendary beings of Light and Dark. All three of the Knights had been expecting something a bit more ferocious than a stag. But there was no denying that the two were majestic, and beautiful, and definitely dangerous. These two radiated power and strength. And they remembered what they had been told.

Tynan was the Beast of the Dark.

Amani was the Beast of the Light.

And they would fight to the death, possibly destroying everything in the process.

Sorilbran seemed delighted by all of this, and smiled. "Your friend Kagura has been a delight. She has filled her role in our plans to absolute perfection! All that remains is the sacrifice of the Promised…"

Hearing her friend's name and the mention of the sacrifice that they were intending to make of her drew her attention as few other things could, and Umi was suddenly, once again, completely focused on Sorilbran. "What did you do to Kagura?" she snarled.

"Alas, my dear girl, you have somewhere else to be at the moment," Sorilbran said easily. "I believe Nairi wishes a word with you?" He waved a hand, as though to signal to someone—

And suddenly, Umi was having to dive out of the way to avoid being impaled by a sword wielded by the Magic Knight in the brown armor. She who bonded with the mashin Damek to control the earth, or so Umi had been told. Nairi. Who was now driving Umi backwards, away from her teammates.

Hikaru moved to help her, but was stopped by another attack of magic. It was close enough that she could feel the heat of the blast on her skin as she bent and twisted to avoid being hit dead-on by it.

"I believe this is to be a private confrontation, girl," Sorilbran said in a slightly harsher voice than he had used before. "Nairi wishes to face your Umi alone to seek vengeance for the deaths Umi has caused. You are not to interfere."

"What deaths?" Hikaru demanded.

"I shall keep you well occupied here," he said simply, ignoring the question. "But only until the battle is over and Kagura is taken. You have already outlived your usefulness. Your lives continue by my good graces. So please, my dear girls," he raised a hand. "Entertain me."

And far too close, the two mashin of Light and Dark charged each other and began to fight.

**_- o-_**

_He was an illusionist, a performer of tricks to dupe and delight. His living was made by journeying with various troupes and showing them all the wonders of the imaginary world. If one could dream it and describe it, he could cast it in magic. They were a unique magic, as most illusions were, solid only when beheld by the eye, and powerless against lowered eyelids._

_But that village had been different. He had arrived with the troupe, as usual, and performed, and the audience had loved his show. He retired to the inn for the night and slept with a full stomach in a bed that was far too comfortable._

_The next morning, he awoke to a furor. A valuable artifact had been stolen during the night, and somehow the blame had been placed on him. He knew nothing of this artifact, nor of its theft, and he protested his innocence to deaf ears._

_He escaped by virtue of his powers, casting illusions to harm rather than enchant. The forest near the village was thick, and it was there that he made good his escape and hid until they tired of their search and returned to the village. He was now without shelter, livelihood, or any of his possessions. And it was growing dark._

_When he found the cave, the sun had set and risen twice, and he was faint from hunger. He stumbled in and sat down. It was there that he encountered the strange person whose face he could not see._

_You have been wronged, the person said. And you hate them for it. You despise them for what they have done to you. How dare they say that you committed a crime when they have no proof of such?_

_It took the illusionist a moment to realize that this person was right: he was bitter and angry at the way he had been treated._

_When the figure promised him the power to gain his retribution on the village and its inhabitants, who had treated him so horribly, he listened, and he accepted._

_What followed was a pain unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Something was filling him, pouring into his body and mind and into his very soul, filling out all the empty places there and leaving nothing but that everlasting shadow._

_Shadow._

_That was the person's name._

_And Shadow christened him with a new name as well: Sorilbran. The name meant wisdom, Shadow said._

_That night, the village that had chased him out burned to the ground. There were no survivors._

_And the flames were decidedly not illusions._

**_-o-_**

Malia put a hand to her head and winced as she struggled to sit up. Galen had taken the brunt of the landing, but she was still shaken, and the crash had rattled her down to her bones. It took her a moment to get to her feet, still rubbing the sore spot on the back of her head. She did manage to throw a look up at the sky. "Galen, are you all right?" After all, the mashin were living, breathing beings. And they were not invulnerable to harm, by physical and magical means. She remembered feeling a rush of wind that she thought to be Fuu's magic, which she took to have saved her, but where was Galen…?

There was no verbal response, but she did feel a warm rumbling in the back of her mind that she took to be a hearty _I am fine._ It did make her realize that what had happened to Hadrian could easily happen to Galen if something were to happen to her; if she were hurt, Galen would be removed from this plane and sent back to that area where the mashin waited for the summons of their Knights.

Somehow, that made her very sad to think of.

But as long as she was here, she was alone and in grave danger. The Magic Knights of Cephiro had given her their trust, with no great reason to do so, and she had chosen to take up their banner. Doing so had brought her a peace unlike anything she had ever felt before. She felt serene, happy, and for once, completely secure in the people she was surrounded by. She had never doubted before that Nairi would have harmed her if told to do so; her loyalty to Sorilbran was unmatched.

But the choice that had brought her such peace had also put her life in an unparalleled danger. Sorilbran's penalties would be harsh and immediate, and she were fortunate, she would die quickly. Or…

Or he could do to her what he had done to Kagura. Subvert her. Warp her mind. Make her a walking, breathing puppet, one seemingly moving of free will but without any true choice in her actions or motions.

She was really not sure which was worse: to be dead, or to be a puppet.

She drew her sword and began to hurry back towards the noises just beyond a high ridge. That sound told her that a battle was brewing, and a fierce one at that. That was where the Magic Knights of Cephiro were. Her allies. The ones who had granted her their trust. If she made it back to them…there was safety.

"Malia?"

The voice she heard behind her froze her, body and mind and heart and soul. She felt colder than any of its owner's spells as she realized who it was that was speaking to her. Very slowly, she turned around, clutching her sword even more tightly. This was nothing good.

Cristal was gazing at her from a short distance away. She was clad in her mashin armor, her sword in her hand. Even with the space between them, Malia could clearly make out her silver-gray eyes: questioning and curious. But they were different than they had been before. The light was gone, and they were dull and almost lifeless.

"Malia, it is you…" Cristal said. She sounded…relieved? Was relieved the right word? She started crossing the distance between them, moving from side to side to maneuver around the bumps and dips in the uneven ground. "Oh, thank the gods…I was frightened…" She was coming closer. "All alone there with the Magic Knights of Cephiro…" Closer. "Why wouldn't you leave with me?" Closer still.

Malia hesitated, then took a step back. "Because it is where I wanted to be. And you are not Cristal."

The girl before her, who wore the face of her former partner and sister, put on a convincing expression of surprise. It would have fooled anyone else, she was sure. "What are you talking about?"

"You are not Cristal," Malia repeated. "And you will still away from me." To emphasize her point, she lifted her sword and held it out in a defensive posture to try and keep this person back.

…perhaps the look of shock on her face was not feigned after all. It might very well have been real surprise at her ruse being found out. "Malia, what are you talking about?" Cristal asked in a bewildered voice. "Who else would I be?"

"I do not know. But I do know that you are not who you appear," she said with all the courage she could muster up. "I know what befell Cristal. Galen told me that Hadrian is gone." She narrowed her eyes at the person before her. "Cristal is dead. So I ask again—who are you?"

The fake Knight stared at her for a moment before chuckling. "Pity. You are far more perceptive than I ever would have given you credit for, Malia. And that bond of yours to your mashin…quite remarkable," the person said, though it was no longer in Cristal's voice. It was a man's voice, and one that she knew all too well.

…and one that she knew she could never hope to win against in a fight. Still, she held her sword high and gathered all of her courage. "If you are to be my executioner, Aeric, then let it be with your true face, and not this illusion of Sorilbran's."

There was a pause, a moment where nothing moved and time itself seemed to stand still and wait with bated breath.

And then everything happen very quickly.

There was a flash of light, one that she recognized very clearly as being the site of an illusion being dropped. Then there was a blur of motion, dark blue and black against the darkened sky. And then—

And then there was a sword plunged into her chest, nearly up to the hilt. The blade was protruding from her back, the metal crimson with blood. Her blood.

And Aeric. Damnable Aeric was standing before her, holding the sword and grinning. "Death to traitors," he said as she dropped to her knees, her own sword falling from her hand to the ground. He put one foot on her shoulder and pushed her off his blade, watching as she slid to the ground.

As he walked away, leaving her there, Malia stared at the sky, oddly disappointed that she could not seen any stars; she felt tears burning her eyes, and tasted blood.

_I wish I had been born a real Magic Knight…_

_I wish I had been a Magic Knight of Cephiro…_

_…I wish…_

_…_

**_-o-_**

"I don't understand why you're so determined to kill me!" Umi hollered, blocking yet another well-aimed attack from her opponent's blade. "I haven't done anything to you! I don't even know anything about you! I barely even know your name!"

The girl, Nairi, who looked so much like her yet acted so differently, snarled. "You are a killer! You killed Cristal when she tried to take Malia back!"

It took all of Umi's focus to keep from stopping cold out of shock. "What? No! I didn't!" she said, rolling to one side and immediately lifting her sword for another block. "I wasn't even there! Fuu said that Cristal left on her own after Malia refused to go back with her!"

"LIAR!" Nairi screamed. "I saw her dead! You killed her! And—" She stopped cold and stared straight ahead for a moment, her head tilted slightly to the side as though listening.

Umi took the opportunity to put some distance between herself and this girl who was so determined to blame her for a death she had not caused. But she recognized the pose; it seemed that someone was having a conversation with a mashin.

"Malia is…" Nairi said slowly after a moment. Her eyes widened. "She's…but…" Then she visibly winced and her look changed to horror. "But she's—how could she…y-yes…" Now from horror to hardened anger. "Yes…"

That look was frightening. Umi did not like that expression at all, and sensed that it did not bode well for her.

She was right. The ground beneath her feet began to shake, something she realized was tied into Nairi's powers. As Umi controlled the sea, Nairi controlled the land. They were polar opposites in every respect.

…really, that seemed true of all of them.

Fuu and Malia were calm and storms.

Hikaru and Cristal were fire and ice.

Umi and Nairi were sea and land.

And Kagura was light and dark.

Opposites. Yin and yang. The elemental pivots that held all of nature and all of the world in balance. They balanced each other by their powers and their attitudes.

…good and evil, the truly great paradox.

It made sense to Umi now, somehow.

Nairi was attacking again. "You killed Malia too!" she screamed. Every parry and every thrust of her blade was harder than it had been before by tenfold. She was furious, tears visibly blazing in her eyes, and there was little chance that she would listen to any sort of reason.

But Umi still had to try. "No! I didn't! How could I? Malia was alive when we came to the field!" In truth, the news had left her reeling as well. Malia was gone now too? There was a very short list of suspects in the matter, and Umi already had her top suspect chosen.

Sure enough, Nairi's next words gave her all but confirmation. "You did! Aeric found her! Impaled on a sword—your sword!"

"Aeric is not someone you can trust!" Umi said, casting a water spell to protect herself and give her a chance to jump back. "I've met him before! He tried to destroy us all, and he'll destroy you too! And Kagura!" She was panting for air, desperate for a moment's reprieve. "And Sorilbran…your lord and master you say? Didn't he tell you what will happen to Kagura? And to you?"

"I don't care. And don't you dare insult Sorilbran, or so help me…"

"Kagura will die. She will be devoured by the monsters. And you'll die too. Or rather, you'll stop existing. Or didn't you know that little tidbit of information?" Umi gritted her teeth. She felt cruel saying this and doing this, but she trusted Fuu and Fuu's second-sight, and if it applied to Malia, she guessed that the same held true for Malia's teammates. "Didn't you know that you're not actually alive?"

To her amazement, Nairi actually stopped at that. "What? What nonsense are you babbling about?"

"Fuu can see a person's life-force, courtesy of that little trip you guys sent her on into the Other Realm. You're not alive. None of you are," she persisted. "You don't have the glow that she described that would mean you're alive." Umi swallowed hard. "Amaya doesn't have it either. She's been dead for centuries. And neither does Aeric."

"You…you're lying!" Nairi said. But there was a tremor to her voice that told Umi she had hit some sort of a nerve.

"You're not convinced that I'm lying, are you? I don't know why, but something about what I'm saying is making you doubt. And that casts a doubt on everything else, doesn't it?"

"STOP IT!"

Now Nairi's sword attacks were less graceful and planned, and far more hack and slash, swinging her sword wildly at Umi without making much contact. It was baffling, really. Why did Nairi seem to almost believe her words? If anything, it felt like the least believable part of the whole story!.

"I'll kill you! For Cristal and Malia, and for myself!" she said fiercely, her words and tone and attacks growing more wild with each motion and each syllable. "I don't care what Kagura says. You are mine to kill!"

Umi was doing a fairly good job of holding her own in spite of everything (and she sincerely hoped that Fuu and Hikaru were having an easier time of this than she was), but then her foot struck something. It felt like a rock, and it was enough to throw her off balance and send her sprawling backwards to the ground.

Now in a very prone position, she looked up at Nairi, recognizing the look in her eyes as a victorious one; yet she saw so little sanity in those angry brown eyes as she lifted her sword to strike the killing blow.

It never fell.

Instead Nairi let out a gasping gurgle, and something warm and wet fell on Umi's face; Nairi's sword dropped to the ground, barely missing Umi. It took Umi a moment to realize that the wetness now dotting her face was blood.

Nairi's blood.

And it had been cast by the sword now jutting through Nairi's stomach.

The Knight of Damek opened her mouth, then closed it, then put her hands to her stomach as though to feel what had happened. And then she fell, almost in slow motion, first to her knees, and then forward, sliding off the blade and slumping on the ground. She managed to roll over, though, and looked up to behold the one who would kill her: her executioner.

Umi also stared up at the sword's wielder, feeling horror and anger and fear rising like bile in the back of her throat when she realized who it was.

Kagura studied the bloodied blade of her sword for a moment before smiling down at Nairi, a smile that held no real happiness or pity or remorse. "Sorilbran's orders, Nairi. I'm sure you understand."

* * *

**PS.** _First things first: names. Sorilbran does mean "wisdom." Amani is a Swahili name that means "peace," and Tynan is Irish, meaning "dark". Fun stuff. I have a weird interest in names, can you tell? Now onto the boring slightly whiny babble._

_OH MY GOD THIS CHAPTER DID NOT WANT TO BE WRITTEN. To be honest, I'm still totally happy with it, but I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to fix it, and nothing came up. It just feels choppy to me. I dunno…I've sort of taken to thinking of this as the "middle child" of the trilogy. A lot of stuff I've tried to set up in this story is going to come into play in the third story._

_…but if it makes you feel better about the wait, I have the next chapter more or less completed? All more than ten thousand words of it? Hopeful face goes here? I'll post it soon. Probably on the thirtieth, 'cause that's my birthday and I like to post stuff on my birthday! Hope you'll check back in for it. Thanks for reading, all! Much love!_


	14. Dawn and Twilight

**AN: **And here we go. New chapter, yay! More notes at the end. I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth. Just playing around.

**Dawn and Twilight**

Horror did not even begin to cover the emotions that Umi felt at that moment. Kagura had just…her best friend had just…slaughtered someone. From behind, run through with a sword. Someone who had probably trusted her. A teammate.

Now…that girl, Nairi, was curled on the ground, bleeding and staring and panting for air. And the look on her face said that she didn't believe it either. It grew even worse at Kagura's words: _Sorilbran's orders. _Malia had alluded to Nairi's loyalty to the man, and so to hear that he had ordered her death—her execution…

As some inner instinct drove her, Umi surged to her feet and grabbed her fallen sword. This was it. She was going to face her best friend in a fight to the death. Oh gods, she wasn't ready for this, she couldn't possibly hurt Kagura, or worse…

To her amazement, Kagura threw her a smirk. "Ah, but Umi. This is no place for a proper fight." She turned and started walking towards a flat, grassy area down a sharp incline. "Come. Face me, if you have the courage. And once I am done with you, I shall go to Tynan."

_The sacrifice,_ Umi realized. She stood, frozen in place, and she watched Kagura walk away towards the spot that she had appointed as their battlefield. Finally, she swallowed hard and took that first fateful step towards that grassy clearing.

A hand grabbed her wrist.

Umi jumped and looked down, startled to realize that it was Nairi, gripping her arm with all the strength she could muster up. Her hands were stained with her own blood, and there was now a dark crimson mark on Umi's arm in the shape of a palm and fingers. Umi looked down at her fallen enemy, and was only partially startled to see tears running down the girl's face; they turned crimson where they met the trickle of blood that had seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Umi was on her knees in a heartbeat. She had thought that Nairi had died, but if she was alive…she could be saved, couldn't she? "Just hold on, please," she said, gripping at Nairi's shoulder. Enemy or not, the last thing she wanted to see was another death at the hands of this horrible man. "I'll get Fuu over here—she can use her magic. You won't—"

"Stop. Please…"

The words were coughed out, but Umi stopped at the sound of them. "What?"

"Don't…don't bother. It's what I d-deserve, right?" she said with a bitter bark of a laugh that ended in a cough. "I just c-can't believe that h-he…he w-would…" A pause as she took a shaky breath. "I…I b-believe you…you didn't k-kill them…"

Umi did not speak; she couldn't. No words would come.

"Listen…I will t-tell you…" Nairi went on, her words coming faster as she struggled to get all of her thoughts out before it was too late. "H-his weakness…a stone. It f-focuses his power. D-destroy that, and you can w-win…b-break his spell…"

"Where is the stone?" Umi asked frantically.

"The crystal…underg-ground…somewhere…" she said. "Break it…b-break his spells. F-free…free us all…" She shook her head. "And d-don't lose to her. Kagura. Please. You need to…" A hiccup. "Don't lose her t-to Shadow now…"

Having finally regained control of herself and her senses, Umi shushed her. "Just hold on. I'm going to send Fuu over here for you. I promise. And I'll take care of Kagura."

"G-good. Now go," Nairi said. She hiccuped again, and more tears ran down her face. "Go."

_**-o-**_

This was as close to a one-sided battle as Fuu and Hikaru had ever fought. They hadn't even been able to get close to Sorilbran yet. His powers were admittedly incredible. He was throwing illusions of every sort at them, some of them even reminscient of the fights they had seen in the Spring of Eterna.

Their family members, attacking them with all manners of magical powers.

Their closest friends, speaking to them with words of hatred and rebuke.

Moments out of their worst nightmares, laid before them as though of true flesh and blood and seeking to destroy them.

One right after the other, the illusions came. The only defense was to close their eyes, leaving them open to attacks of all other natures. They were running in circles, dodging and fleeing. They were helpless in the face of the onslaught.

And Sorilbran simply stood there and smiled through the whole thing.

So when he actually spoke to them, it was a surprise. "I wonder, though…what you would think of my true powers." He moved a hand—

And the illusions vanished.

There was a moment where everything was almost frightfully calm.

…and then Hikaru let out an involuntary scream as she was forced to drop flat to her stomach on the ground to avoid being sliced through by Fuu's sword. But even more frightening was the look on Fuu's face: angry and bloodthirsty and filled with a hatred that had no place at all in the expression of such a gentle, caring girl.

But it was only like that for a moment before Fuu let out a cry of surprise and dropped her blade, jumping back from it. Now her look was one of a horror that mirrored Hikaru's own. "What did I—oh god! You looked like—" she whirled and glared up at him. "What did you do to me?"

"I was under the impression that the Knights of Windam were in possession of a great intellect," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "But it appears that this is not the case. You see, little one, I am the Master of Illusions. It is my supreme power."

"What did you do?" Fuu asked again. She bent to reclaim her weapon. Hikaru moved into position behind her, ready for just about anything that he might throw at them.

"I cast an illusion into your very mind, Magic Knight," he said. "You have no barriers against such a thing. Your mind is an open page to me. You are just like the others, so easy to manipulate and control." He seemed amused by the whole thing.

"Is that what you did to Kagura?" Hikaru demanded.

"My, you are a curious one, aren't you? Ah, well…there were a few things that I needed in order to secure my plans. One of those was the Promised. And how fascinating that she would be born so close to all of you. But it is not altogether surprising. You see, those with power are drawn to others with power. But it was a nuisance, to have found her and learn that she was not one who was going to fulfill her role easily. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the Light. That would certainly never do."

"So you went into her mind," Fuu said. It was a statement, not a question.

"All her thoughts of Light were supported by her friendships with you three and her knowledge of what had happened to you in Cephiro. She believed in that Light, foolish girl," Sorilbran drawled. "So a few measures were required to ensure her cooperation. That is all."

"What did you do?"

"Were you unaware, girl, that memories are little more than illusions? Easily created, easily destroyed, and easily altered. Memory is far too falliable, which makes it an easy thing to manipulate. I simply altered a few of her dear memories, added a few of my own creation, and planted the seeds of Shadow in her. After that was done, she willingly placed herself in my power and my control."

"You brainwashed her!" Hikaru said accusingly.

"I am unfamiliar with that word, Magic Knight," he said. "But I wonder…how easy would your mind be to play with? Are your memories so solid that I could not change them?" A sickening smile crossed his face. "Let us find out, shall we? Now let me see…you have other fears…"

The illusions were coming again. Hikaru was thrown back as a shade of her oldest brother slammed into her. She rolled away, tumbling head over heels, and called up to the illusionist, "So what about Malia and the others? What did you need them for?"

Fuu was busily fending off the image of her sister. "I know they're not alive!"

Sorilbran almost seemed to be viewing himself as the star of this whole encounter. He was moving around a bit, gloating at their questions and preening happily as he answered them. "Oh, those three. Quite a find they were."

"Tell me!" Fuu snarled. She remembered the look on Malia's face when she had heard of Cristal's demise, and the story Amaya had told about witnessing her teammates' deaths. And she was forced to recall her own feelings when she had witnessed Umi's death to stop Xander. They all deserved justice, or at least the dignity of an explanation.

"Oh, you have done the whole thing up nicely, haven't you?" Sorilbran looked amused. "You three were not the only ones with the capacity to don the mashin. The bloodlines of your ancestors produced many more children than just the three of you. These three fell within those bloodlines. But their destinies were broken by death. I had been waiting, and I took their souls. I resurrected them. The bodies you see are my creations. I gave them their lives back, and in return they served me. They bonded to their mashin in fulfillment with that potential, and so I gained access to their magic and control over their powers. Such a simple plan, but so very effective."

Simple? Fuu couldn't help but gape at the description of what she suspected were high-level magics as being simple. All of his posturing and preening seemed more and more like a front. He wanted them to admire his powers. And she found herself suspecting that that was the reason for the attack on her shortly after their arrival in Cephiro, the trip into the Spirit World that had given her that second sight. It was just to show off and display his power, and to let them know that he could do whatever he wanted with them whenever he wanted.

And the attack on Amaya, trapping a spirit within her own memories…it had seemed so pointless, and now she knew that it really was in terms of the grand scheme. It was another chance for him to show off, to try and make them fear his power and what he could do.

But all of his plans and designs were becoming more and more clear to Fuu, particularly as she was able to study him and his aura: a fierce inky black glow that reached far beyond any normal aura. And she could take an educated guess as to what that meant. "But they couldn't give you the power you really needed to get what you wanted," Fuu risked the challenge. "You need Kagura and her powers and her mashin to get done whatever it is that you're trying to do."

"Oh, there it is!" he said, sounding oddly delighted. "That wonderful intelligence said to reside with the Knights of Windam. You are correct, Magic Knight. Hadrian and Damek and Galen were nothing. The real power is held by Tynan, and Kagura was good enough to awaken him for me. Now he fights," he gestured towards the sky, where the clash was growing worse. "He and Amani are once again at their great battle. But this time, there will be a victor."

"And after Kagura destroys Umi, she becomes the sacrifice to Tynan, he wins the battle with her power, and everything becomes darkness," Fuu said.

For the first time, Sorilbran actually looked a bit annoyed. "Correct," was all he said, but it was in a stiff tone, and she suspected that he was displeased that she was piecing his plans together and throwing them back at him faster than he could crow about them. She took an odd satisfaction in that, to be honest. Let him be disgruntled about it. Served him right. Besides, with these sorts of characters, a wound to the pride was frequently more painful than any wound to the body.

Hikaru was starting to panic. "Fuu…Fuu, something's wrong…" she gasped, one hand pressed to her forehead. She was wincing and stumbling around. The attacking illusions had stilled, seemingly in favor of this new form of attack. But how did one fight an enemy that was attacking from inside one's own mind and tearing away one's free will?

At a loss and without any other ideas, Fuu burst out with the only thing she could think of: "Call Rayearth!" Their mashin were connected directly with their minds. Maybe that would let them help somehow, to fend off an attack that was entirely internal…

Apparently Hikaru had no better ideas. She did as she was told, though it was growing hard to focus because of the pain in her head. Not even bothering to hold her sword aloft as she normally did, she clenched her empty hand in her hair and screamed the name in a voice that spoke volumes of anguish and pain, "RAYEARTH!"

…Hikaru saw fire. Or rather, she saw fire in her mind's eye. The blaze did not touch her or sear her; since acquiring her magic, flames had held no fear for her. And she could only wait as the internal battle was fought between her enemy and her greatest partner.

There was a popping noise, and her head was clear. The pain was gone. All was as it should be, her memories intact and her mind undamaged and unaltered.

_i"Thank you,"/i_ she murmured.

Sorilbran actually jumped back as though he had physically been stung, clutching both hands to the neckline of his scarlet tunic. "You…how dare you, you little—"

"How dare she what?" Fuu asked. "Break your spell? Fight back?"

Hikaru gave herself a shake and glared up at him. "You stay out of my head, you hear me?" she said.

"Hikaru! Fuu!" Umi's voice interrupted the fight before it could really begin. A glance to the side proved that she was standing a short distance away, up a small incline. "Stay focused, and don't take your eyes off him, but listen to me!"

"What happened?" Hikaru called back, refocusing her eyes on Sorilbran as per Umi's instructions.

"Nairi is…" she glanced back, and saw that the Knight of Damek had gone still. "Nairi is dead. Kagura killed her, and Sorilbran ordered it. And he had Malia killed too, after she was separated from us. All three of them are gone, and he's the one who did it." The undertone in her voice grew even harsher. "He betrayed them."

"Umi—"

"I'm going to go face Kagura. But be careful," she called, and she was gone, off to finally confront her friend, now deadly enemy.

At the news of Malia, Fuu felt something inside her run cold. Malia, who had been willing to risk everything, and who had ultimately paid everything to help them and to atone for her mistakes. Cristal…Nairi…he had manipulated all three of them, making them what they were and then abusing their thanks by taking advantage of their loyalty.

And now Fuu was seeing red. As was Hikaru, if the growl she let out was any indication. Enemy or no, they did not want to see anyone hurt or killed. Especially not by someone they had so dearly believed they could trust.

There was a blur of crimson beside her, like a flash of hot flame—

And then Sorilbran was arching backwards and twisting his body to avoid being harmed as Hikaru's sword sliced through the air. He let out a cry and stumbled backwards, clutching one of his arms.

Hikaru had actually leapt at him, and was now twisting in the air, bringing her feet up over her head and spinning to land neatly in a crouched position. A tiny drip of something red trailed off her sword.

"You…you hurt me!" Sorilbran said in a high voice. For lack of any better word, Fuu would have said that it sounded like he was _iwhining./i_ He was staring at his hand, now colored by his own blood. "You actually hurt me!" He sounded like the playground bullies back on Earth, who pushed everyone else around, yet could not believe that they were also receptive to injury when someone stood up to them.

Hikaru's eyes were blazing. "It ends now," she said. And the fight began anew.

_**-o-**_

The field was, as indicated, a perfect place for a fight. It was flat, grassy, and large enough for them to have room to move around. As Umi slid the rest of the way down the slope to that clearing, she couldn't help but wonder exactly what would come of this. She knew that she could fight Kagura; it was something she had done on occasions before. But those had always been friendly spars and practice matches, back during the days when they both were members of their high school fencing club. That was very different from what was happening now.

…could she really do it?

Could she really kill her best friend, if it came to that?

Umi straightened and gazed across the field towards the girl standing proud and tall in the middle of it, waiting for her with sword drawn. Kagura was certainly not going to be pulling any punches in this fight. She was here for blood, regardless of their long history. She did not know Umi as her best friend.

…yes.

If it came to that, Umi told herself, she could and would kill Kagura.

She had to rationalize it to herself, though. If Kagura was taken by Dark, then the land would be destroyed. Aldarba, Cephiro, possibly the other worlds that inhabited this universe…all could be lost to the mashin's fury and rage, and Shadow (for she knew that to be who was ultimately behind this entire situation) would be victorious and take everything. If it were an even fight between Light and Dark, then perhaps there would be a way to turn the tide; Selece, Windam, and Rayearth could help, couldn't they?

In the end, she had to admit it: it was unfair to put one life above all the lives of all the people in all these worlds, simply because she knew the person. It was the same rational that had led her and her teammates to kill Emeraude, the Pillar, during their initial venture into Cephiro. The needs of the many had to be placed above the needs of the few.

That was why the Magic Knights were the legendary protectors of Cephiro, after all. They fought to guard the people, those who could not defend themselves.

No matter how much personal pain it caused them.

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself for what she was sure she was going to have to do, Umi began to cross the field to face Kagura in this fight. This final fight, she knew. One way or another, this was going to end today. Be it her death or Kagura's death or the destruction of entire worlds, this was it. The final countdown. The showdown to decide the fate of everything.

"I have to say that I'm glad you decided to come," Kagura said in a lazy drawl, turning her sword over in her hand. "I've been waiting for this for quite some time." She glanced up towards the mashin fighting above them, and smiled at the sound of land breaking and crashing because of the battle. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Such power…such wonderful power…"

"Why would you do this, Kagura?" Umi asked. "Any of this? This isn't you! And why did you kill Nairi?" _iOn Sorilbran's orders,/i _she thought, recalling the words Kagura had so callously spoken after impaling Nairi with obvious intent to kill.

"Because she had outlived her usefulness," Kagura said. The smirk she wore then was far too much like Sorilbran's for anyone's comfort. "The deaths of the others were enough to make her help us take the Princess to lure you here. That was all. There is nothing more she can do, and so she was eliminated. It's for the best, really. I have no use for weaklings"

"Kagura—"

"There's really no point in talking anymore, Umi," Kagura said, lifting her sword. "I am the most powerful Magic Knight there is. My legend far surpasses yours." Now her pretty violet eyes flickered black. "And I belong to Shadow. I will be the sacrifice to Dark. And you, Umi…you are my enemy. And you are weak. And as I said before, I have no use for weaklings."

That signalled the end of the simple conversation part of this meeting, and the fight was joined. This was far different from any other fight or spar they had ever had. No strikes were pulled; no blows were softened. The metal blades of their swords vibrated and rang with the force of collision as parry after parry and thrust after thrust were met by block after block.

"I wonder what Takeshi would say if he saw you now," Umi snarled, shoving her hair back and jumping back a few feet. "He always said you were the nicer of the two of us. He'd probably be helping me right now. You've lost your mind."

Kagura had been swinging at Umi's head, and Umi had raised her own sword to block it. But to her open amazement, the sword's arc had changed at the last minute. Initially it had been flying towards Umi's face; instead, it sliced through the air past her shoulder, missing her completely. She audibly murmured, "T-Takeshi…?" It was like she was just remembering her longtime male friend as someone she had not thought about in years.

Umi felt a pang of guilt, but took her chance as it presented itself, and lifted her knee, slamming it soundly into Kagura's stomach. She heard a loud gasp of pain, and resolved not to let up on her advantage. She swung her leg around and kicked. Kagura was knocked backwards several meters, where she slammed backwards into the ground with a loud grunt of pain.

It took Kagura several seconds to climb to her feet. "That was impressive, Umi," she said, pressing her free hand to the spot where Umi's knee had rammed into her. "Very impressive. There's that fighting spirit." She let out a low hiss as she stood upright. "But you relinquish your advantage as soon as you secure it."

Umi didn't even bother opening her mouth to reply because she knew that Kagura was right. By all accounts and logic, she should have attacked again, and ended the fight once and for all on the blade of her sword. But the fact was that she had choked. And she knew it could cost her dearly, because now her foe was up again and ready to start the fight anew.

Swallowing hard, Umi drew into herself. Her normal personality fell to the back, and her truest self came forward. She lifted her head and gazed straight at Kagura, looking her right in the eye with a gaze that she knew was cast in ice. "I am a Magic Knight of Cephiro, Kagura," she said, her voice even and calm. "And I will do what I must to protect Cephiro, and Cephiro's allies. If this means that I must kill you, then so be it. But I will secure our peace."

There was no missing the flicker of surprise that touched Kagura's face at the words. But it vanished quickly into that same cool, confident smirk. "Oh, how wonderful," Kagura said. "At last, a decent fight. I am going to enjoy this, Umi." And she lunged with her sword in her hand and bloodlust in her eyes.

It was a cruel thing to say, Umi knew, but she was going to say it anyway; she lifted her sword to block the attack. "Then I will send you to meet your brother. I know you miss Kazuma a lot."

The response was not at all what she had expected. Kagura actually stumbled and stopped far short of actually striking Umi. And now she simply stared at her with horrified eyes. And…were those tears? "Wh-what? But…h-how dare you…" Now Kagura couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

The stammering went on for another second or two before Kagura finally let out an enraged shriek and attacked. There was no longer any rhyme or reason to the attack; her motions no longer held any of the grace or purpose that had marked her earlier movements. Now it was just infuriated hacking and slashing in a mad attempt to draw blood.

To be honest, the lack of predictable moves was giving Umi a bit of difficulty in blocking. But the wild moves were large and arching, and once she realized that much, she was able to follow a great deal better and protect herself. Let Kagura wear herself out a bit, and then take the fight for herself.

No matter the outcome, there would be pain here.

And in the skies overhead, Tynan and Amani continued their age-old fight.

_**-o-**_

Nairi had never been in this much pain.

…why wasn't she dead yet? It made no sense. She could taste her own blood, feel her own blood soaking and staining her hands and her armor. And yet she was alive somehow, and conscious, though the world before her eyes was growing increasingly fuzzy and difficult to make out.

Her legs refused to cooperate, and so she was left to drag herself across the ground towards the fight, inch by inch, one slow move at a time. She could see Sorilbran in the sky, and knew that the Magic Knights of Cephiro were fighting him. Light and Dark waged war on the horizon. And if her guess was right, Kagura and Umi were having their own duel. What a mess…

What a horrible, splendid mess…

Rather like her misplaced loyalty, she thought, feeling those awful tears biting at her eyes again.

She had forgotten the incline at the edge of this plateau, and tumbled gracelessly down it, landing in a heap. Her entire body screamed in pain at the action, but she forced herself to keep moving. She had an idea, and dear gods if she could manage this then perhaps there was still some chance…

Malia had stayed with the Knights of Cephiro, knowing well that her treason would cost her dearly. Knowing Malia and her far-too-good nature, she had probably wanted to try and fix what she had destroyed. What a folly, a fool's idea. And yet…

Sorilbran had just knocked the two Magic Knights away (the green one and the red one, Nairi noted absently), and had now noticed her. And oh, did he look delighted. "Nairi, my dear, what has happened to you?" he asked in a voice that was practically dripping with false sweetness and charm.

"You did this…" she gasped. God, she couldn't make that horrific taste in her mouth go away. "And n-now I'm going to r-repay the f-favor…" Her voice refused to cooperate anymore. She had to do this quickly; she was having difficulty seeing straight, and her legs had gone numb.

Now his eyes hardened. "And what are you going to do, Nairi?" he asked coolly. "You are weak, and near death. You always were a gullible fool, though."

"I was g-gullible to put so m-much faith in you…and I w-was a f-fool," she said as evenly as possible. "B-but you b-betrayed me, Sorilb-bran. And now I c-can repay the f-favor." There was a flash of light, and her sword appeared in her hand; it immediately dropped to the ground beside her as she coughed, splattered blood onto her hands and the soft earth.

She had shifted. When she had first landed down there and made her way to the battlefield, she had been more or less on her stomach, her legs dragging almost uselessly behind her. There was probably a trail of crimson across the ground behind her to mark her path. But now she had managed to pull herself up, tucking her legs under her as best she could. One hand was pressed to the stab wound on her stomach, and the other was flat against the ground beside her.

Unbeknownst to him, she was searching. It had to be there, near him, and since it was not in sight, it had to be hidden. She knew that he would frequently do like this, having helped him in that endeavor herself on a few occasions. She just had to find it…was that…yes. There it was.

Nairi reached with her hazy mind. "_Damek? Are you there?"_ She felt those same alien tears in her eyes now, but she knew that she could not do this herself, no matter how much she wished she could. "_I've been a fool. But I need help now."_ Both for her own vengeance against the one who had so wronged her…and her single chance at redemption for her stupidity.

A strange feeling in her mind, almost like a hug. "_**I am with you."**_

And his strength was there, where her own was failing, and she was able to actually lift her head up and hold it high. Nairi was surprised to feel herself smile, and when she spoke her voice was now strong and clear. "You said this would be the end of it all. I think you're right. Let's end it."

Now she reached again, not with mind or hands, but with magic. She reached through her hand, down into the ground around her; she found what she had been searching for, that precious item that meant the difference between victory and defeat. And she pulled with all her power and strength…

The ground began to shake, and suddenly the earth by her hand split open. A large smooth stone on some sort of pedestal had been more or less spit up by the ground. It looked odd now, simply protruding from the dirt like that. But the look on Sorilbran's face spoke volumes of how bad this was. He suddenly looked frantic, and he lunged at her with a strangled scream of fury.

Now her sword was in her hand. "_One more time, Damek?"_ There was no vocal response, but that same feeling of warmth and strength. Her mashin had known that sooner or later she would do the right thing. It had just taken her this long to actually do it. Now she lifted her gaze and gave Sorilbran a crooked smile. "This is for Malia and Cristal," she said; her voice was soft, but she knew he could hear it.

And she lifted her sword and swung it down onto the stone with all the strength she could muster up, both the last ebbing bits of her own strength and the strength her mashin had given her. And she willed every bit of her magic into that sword to just _end this fight already…_

The smooth, polished surface cracked and split from the force of the attack; the sword embedded itself deeply into the rock. That was all that anyone had time to see before the focus-stone exploded with light. Nairi did not even attempt to scream as the light engulfed her, burning and white-hot and tearing her apart with sheer magical force.

Yet she did not even cry anymore, no matter how much it hurt. It was almost over anyway.

…and she was tired.

_**-o-**_

Umi barely noticed the pillar of light shooting into the sky; she was too busy trying to keep herself from being killed. But some part of her noticed it and noted that it was near the place where Fuu and Hikaru were fighting Sorilbran. Oh gods, she hoped they were okay…she had to refocus quickly, though, and she raised her sword to block an attack from Kagura.

Kagura was charging, the sword swinging downwards towards Umi. But it fell from her fingers and actually flew over Umi's head closely enough that she had to duck to avoid slicing the top of her head open. The blade skidded and bounced across the grass behind Umi, who was staring, startled, at her now-immobile opponent.

Kagura's eyes had gone wide, and did not seem to actually see Umi for a moment. Numerous emotions flitted across her eyes and her face. Most prevalent among them was pain, and tears first welled up in her eyes, then started to slide down her face without being noticed or wiped away.

At a loss, Umi took a step back. Was this a trick? It didn't seem like it. Kagura had never been one to cry, especially on cue, and she had certainly shown no remorse at all in this fight so far. Why start now, even as a battle tactic? She had been so confident that she would win.

After eternities had seemingly gone by, Kagura blinked and looked straight at her. "Umi?" she said, looking her friend up and down. "Why are you wearing your armor? Are we back in Cephiro?" Her voice was a far cry from the smug drawl that had marked their earlier conversation. Now she was quiet, almost a whisper, and she looked lost and confused, like a disoriented sleepwalker who has just awoken in a strange place.

"We're in Aldarba," Umi said without thinking, then realized how odd the question was. She had known where they were! Unless… "Kagura, do you not remember anything that—"

Kagura winced and put her hand to her forehead. "I…god, my head hurts, everything's all muddled…" Her eyes snapped open again as she seemed to remember something, and she looked around: first at Umi and the sword in Umi's hand, then past Umi to the blade laying on the ground. Then she looked down at herself; she was wearing her black armor. She looked back at Umi, the horror of realization and dawning comprehension written into her expression. And finally she looked up towards the sky and the two mashin fighting there. Tynan currently had its teeth buried into Amani's shoulder, but Amani's white hooves were kicking furiously at Tynan's legs. Their battle was still without a clear victor.

"Umi…" Kagura said slowly, her eyes still focused on those two mashin. "…did I…did I really do that?"

There was no denying it, and no good reason to lie. It seemed that Kagura was remembering everything, so a lie would only be more hurtful. Umi nodded and answered, softly, "Yes."

_**-o-**_

The light vanished almost as suddenly as it had appeared. Fuu and Hikaru rushed to the place to see what had happened, and found a small crater blasted into the earth. Sorilbran had been flung aside, managing to avoid the majority of the power explosion. He lay, unmoving, on the burnt grass.

The stone was gone, and so was Nairi. There wasn't so much of a trace that either had been there, save for the enormous hole blown into the ground by the stone's fracture. But wait…what was that…?

Hikaru slid down into the gaping hole; she had spotted something sparkling at the bottom of it, and wanted to see what it was. Fuu waited on the rim, and offered Hikaru a hand as she climbed out with the object clutched in her hand. She showed it to Fuu, closing her eyes as she handed it over.

A gem.

An ovum-gem, to be precise, dark brown in color.

It was definitely Nairi's, the only thing left of her. How it was left when nothing else had survived was unknown to them at the moment, but somehow… "Let's take it back to Cephiro," Fuu said softly, tucking the small jewel into her armor for safekeeping. "It just seems like the right thing to do."

There was a groan, and movement nearby. Both whipped around to see Sorilbran struggling to sit up. He looked disoriented and bewildered, but he quickly recovered and glared at them. He wore a smirk now that barely reached his eyes as he struggled to his feet. "Well, that certainly takes care of that problem," he said. But something seemed different. He wasn't how he had been before. It was hard to explain, but whatever that stone was that Nairi had broken, it had done something to him. "Now to deal with you…"

A new emotion filled Hikaru as she listened to him so easily brush Nairi's sacrifice aside. There had been shock and sadness and even a tinge of grief for their enemy, though she did not totally understand what had just happened. But now she was slowly feeling something new, burning into the back of her throat.

Rage.

Before she even really realized what she was doing, Hikaru called fire and flung it at him. It wasn't even her most powerful attack, but the first one she had ever learned, the flame arrow. It was simply the first one that had popped into her head. It was probably a waste of magic and energy, as he had always just brushed those aside before. But this time…

To Hikaru's amazement, this time was different.

Sorilbran moved his hand as though to knock her attack aside as he had before. Instead, the burst of flame ignored his attempts to block it, and hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him back down to the ground; he once again landed sprawled on his back with a near squawk of surprise.

And he wasn't the only one surprised. Fuu let out an involuntary gasp when she saw him hit. They had been trying to do this since the battle started. How in the world was it possible that now…

She glanced down at the crater. The stone that Nairi had destroyed…had that done it somehow?

Whatever the case, it seemed that it was time to turn the battle and gain the upper hand. They could take care of Sorilbran first, and then worry about the mashin. So long as they stayed out here, where there weren't any cities or towns to be destroyed, there was the possibility that this could all be ended quickly and without too many casualties.

Sorilbran was already back on his feet. There was a strange blotch staining the front of his tunic a darker shade of maroon; it didn't take a genius to realize that it was blood. He was bleeding and injured, and now he was not able to cast them aside quite so easily.

Fuu moved first and called Binding Winds. In very short order, he was caught up in the net of her magic, held fast and immobile. He yelped and struggled, but to no avail. And then it was Hikaru's turn; she threw fire, and let nature do the rest. The yelp turned to a shout as he was engulfed. After a moment, they released him. He was surely injured enough to be of no threat. Now perhaps it was time to let the laws and justice systems of these worlds do their work and—

To their open amazement, he jumped away from them. Sorilbran looked a mess now: his clothes were tattered and burned, he was blistered and red from Hikaru's fire, and he was visibly furious. "I will…" he gasped harshly. "You won't win this fight, Magic Knights. I still have my power, and your memories are mine to destroy, do you hear me! I will—URK!"

He froze, his eyes widening, as darkness swarmed around him. The ribbons of shadow were quickly wrapping around him before tightening around him. It took a moment before he was completely covered by them. Judging by the expression that had been on his face while it was visible, this was not his doing, and he did not understand what was happening.

"It is interesting how you call others worthless and weak," a familiar, eerily-smooth voice commented, "when you are no better yourself. I think it is time to put an end to this…as Shadow commands."

There was a muffled whimper of protest from beneath the shadow before they suddenly contracted—

There was a sickening crunch that seemed to reverberate off every hillside in the area. The ribbons unbound and vanished, and a bloody, messy pulp that had only moments before been a person dropped to the ground at their feet.

Sorilbran.

Or what was left of him. His face was not recognizable, his body crushed.

And Aeric stood behind him, watching the scene with a smile. "Ah, Magic Knights," he said in that same slimy tone. "A pleasure to see you again. I trust you enjoyed this little show?" He glanced down at the remains and chuckled. "A fitting end for such a fool, wouldn't you agree?"

"You…"

"Unfortunately, I do not have time to play with you right now. There are many other matters which require my attention," he said, stepping back. "But everything is finally ready. I will kill you after Cephiro has fallen. And it will be far, far sooner than you realize. Farewell until then, ladies."

And he was gone, disappearing into a blur of shadows that vanished as soon as they had appeared. He left two horrified Magic Knights on the field, with a mangled body on one side of them, and two monsters fighting in the sky on the other.

_**-o-**_

"Kagura, are you sure that—"

"Umi, please! I need to see!" she tried to push her friend's hand aside and hurried along as much as her uncooperative limbs would permit. Her mind was still a hazy mess, and it was affecting her physically. But she had to see the fight, the battle for eternity that she had triggered.

Still, she managed to make her way to a higher point with Umi right on her heels. From there, she had a perfect view of the two: Amani of the Light, and Tynan of the Dark. Tynan, who had accepted her as his Knight. He intended to devour her and take her power to win the fight. And she would have let him do so quite willingly under Sorilbran's powers.

"I did this…" she murmured. "I let them loose…this is all my fault…"

"Kagura, that's not true—"

"It is!" Kagura protested with a sudden burst of strength. "I brought them here!" She looked back towards them. "And I need to stop this, somehow…I need to stop them from fighting…"

Amani and Tynan had moved away from each other now, and were staring at one another. As the two girls watched, they began to glow white and black, respectively. The auras around them grew larger and larger with each passing second.

It took Umi a moment to realize what they were doing. "They're charging up. They're going to attack," she said breathlessly. "If they let that loose, they'll destroy everything. The entire area will go up in flames." Including the Magic Knights themselves, and quite possibly a fair amount of Aldarba. And they really weren't that far from the Palace, all things considered. That could be at risk too.

"Oh my god…" Kagura took a step back, putting her hands over her mouth. "What now? God, this is my fault, I've got to stop this somehow…but what can I…wait." She stopped and straightened, biting her lip as she thought. "Wait a minute…"

"What?" Umi said.

"I was told…" she frowned, furrowing her brow as she fought to remember what she had been told. "I was told that I was of the Dark. That I would choose the darkness. Umi, I have a choice. But…" she looked up at them. "No matter which one I choose, they win, and everything is destroyed."

Umi's mind was racing as fast as Kagura's probably was as she sought to remember the story of Light and Dark. And as she skimmed through the legend, which she had more or less discounted at the time as a fairy tale, she remembered one detail. "Kagura, do you know the story of Light and Dark?"

"They told me the story, yes."

"How did their first battle end? The one from the story itself, I mean."

Kagura thought for a moment, then her eyes widened. "It's a long shot, but…"

The mashin looked to be ready to fire now, and both let out a roar as they unleashed their power.

Before Umi could register the movement, Kagura was sprinting to the edge of the overlook. "Kag—" But she was cut off when she heard Kagura's frantic scream as she actually jumped from the precipice.

"STOP!"

The magics collided in the air, obscuring Kagura.

For a moment, Umi couldn't see anything. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to be killed. Beyond her eyelids, she could see that the world was alternating between blinding light and crushing darkness. She could hear cracking and crumblings that seemed to indicate that the land was being torn apart

…and then it stopped.

Unsure of what she would see, Umi opened her eyes.

She saw Kagura actually floating in the air between them, her arms outstretched as though to somehow block the attacks. She seemed to be unharmed. The mashin themselves had still their fight and stood again at opposite ends of their battleground, studying her.

Kagura was visibly panting for air. "That's ENOUGH!" she screamed.

A new voice came from the sky, somewhere above the clouds. It was deep and rumbling, and as commanding as any leader. It reminded Umi of Selece. "_**What say you, girl?"**_

Kagura looked down for a moment, then up towards the clouds, which were starting to move and swirl. Somewhere in that mass was the speaker, and she had to give the right answer now. Or somehow, she knew that the consequences would be horrific. She swallowed hard, and said, "I am the one who was said to have the power to calm Light and Dark. I think he called me the Promised. But I was told that I had to choose one or the other."

"_**That is correct."**_

"…why?" she said, an unmistakable challenge. "Why do I have to choose?" Her hands balled into fists at her sides. "I mean…without light, there is no dark. And without dark, there can't really be light, can there? It's like how there's no good without evil. I don't see how one can truly exist without the other. Neither one is really more powerful than the other. But they need each other. F-for balance!" She was struggling to put her thoughts into words that would somehow appease the faceless being whom she was addressing. But it needed to be said. She knew the choice she had to make now.

"I am not of the Dark, and I am not of the Light," she said. The words of a poem sprang into her mind. "I am of the Dawn, where the light chases away the dark. And I am of the Twilight, where the light flees before the darkness. That is where the two meet, where they are one, and irreversibly intertwined. And because of that…because neither is truly more powerful than the other, I refuse to choose between them. Instead…" she actually smiled then, "…instead, I claim the power of both."

There was a beat, where the entire world seemed to stand still, awaiting its judgement.

Then the clouds parted, and a large silver spirit descended from that opening. Its shape was like that of the other two: a stag-like form, long-legged and regal with its head held high to survey the area around it. He (for she was certain that it was a he) touched carefully down to the ground between the two who would do battle and tossed its head.

He looked the same as the other two physically, but somehow…there was something about this mashin that set him apart. It was impossible to put into words, but he was definitely different from the other two. And he was now in total control of this battlefield.

The name sprang, unbidden, into Kagura's mind, and she knew who and what this creature was. Before she could stop herself, she spoke it aloud. "Lycoris," she said. "The Beast of Twilight. The one who controls both Light and Dark."

It had been in the story, after all: the magic spent in their great battle had brought into existence another being who bore aspects of both. This was that being…and somehow, Kagura had the impression that he was not terribly pleased. Not that she blamed him for that.

"_**Tell me, girl,"**_ he said in that same commanding voice. His mouth (if he had one?) did not move, but there was no question as to who was speaking. "_**Why should I take you as my Knight? Have you not done terrible things? Is there not blood on your hands?"**_

The words stung, but they were both right and well-deserved. She had done awful things, and Nairi's death was directly on her head. Oh, the Knight of Damek had chosen to die by destroying Sorilbran's focus-stone rather than dying from the stab wound, but that did not change the facts. She took another deep breath to try and rally her thoughts and gather her wits about her.

"Maybe I'm not worthy to be a Magic Knight," she said slowly. "I know I've made mistakes, and while many of them were not entirely under my own free will, that does not excuse me for what I've done. I was under Sorilbran's control. He messed with my mind. But…it was still my hand that held the sword that stabbed Nairi. I still kidnapped Caliana. That was me, and I take responsibility for my actions, regardless of the circumstances surrounding those actions."

So far, she had not been blown to pieces or dropped to the ground; she was still floating in the sky, still wearing the black armor of a Magic Knight. She hoped sincerely that this was a good sign.

"But now…if I have this power and this ability," she started, then paused, thought for a moment, and went on. "I asked Umi once to tell me why she did what she did as a Magic Knight. I didn't understand her answer, so I asked Hikaru and Fuu as well, and they gave me the same answer. And I didn't get it then. But I do now because I'm in the same situation, and I think I can give the same answer of why I would want to keep this power and be a Magic Knight." She looked down at the dark gem on her hand. "I have an ability. A gift or a curse, whichever you want to call it. And I'm one of only a very small group of people with powers like this."

"_**Go on,"**_ Lycoris boomed.

"…Hikaru told me that she had seen the people of Cephiro, and that once she knew what their situations were, she knew she had to fight for them. The Magic Knights fight to protect the people of Cephiro, the ones who can't protect themselves. I can ride in a mashin and call magic to stop invasions or destroy monsters. They can't. So…" Kagura closed her eyes. She suddenly felt very calm. "I understand now. I know how much it hurt Umi and the others to be a Magic Knight. She went through a lot of pain for this land. But she did it anyway because no one else can do what they do. And maybe if I can learn to use my power the right way, and I can fight to protect instead of destroy—doing things of my own free will, and without anyone's influence…then I can help. And maybe, given time, I'll be able to make up for what I've already done and the destruction I caused. It will take a long time, but…" She trailed off into silence; her words had simply run out.

Another of those long pauses. Then Lycoris fixed her with that silvery stare. "_**Your heart is strong, young one," **_he said, and she found that she preferred that name to being called 'girl.' "_**But it was misguided. But you do understand. Therefore…"**_

Before her eyes, Tynan and Amani began to change. Where they had been solid shapes only moments before, they were now becoming almost like masses of black and white fog. Slowly, those mists began moving towards Lycoris, and seemed to melt into him, and he changed in a way that defied words. He was more commanding, more royal…

Complete.

That was the word. Complete.

And Kagura looked down as her armor started to glow and change on her very body. In a moment, the glow faded. What had been solid black armor (not unlike Aeric's, she thought with a shudder) was now colored in black and white and silver that spanned the whole of the breastplate in intricate patterns and stripes. The trim was now in gold, not unlike the others. The gem on her hand was silver.

Without another word, Lycoris changed, becoming a large ball of light that shot into the round circle of gold in the center of her armor. She unconsciously arched her back as the mashin—her mashin, she reminded herself—vanished into her breastplate. When she straightened and opened her eyes again, she was nearly back on the ground, her feet just above the grassy bluff.

She closed her eyes once again as her boot-clad feet touched down to the ground, first her toes, then rocking down onto her heels. Above her, the clouds moved and twisted and finally vanished into nothingness. The entire scene was calm once again.

Umi ran up to her, stopping a couple of meters away. "Kagura?"

Kagura opened her eyes. For a mere moment, they were a flourescent silver, but almost immediately they faded back to their normal pretty violet. She looked straight ahead. The wind chose that moment to pick up, rustling her long hair and her clothes. Dry, dead leaves that had somehow avoided being incinerated in the onslaught of magical attacks were caught as they were blown into her shoes. The area was quiet, as though nothing had happened.

Umi crept closer. "…Kagura?"

Only then did the light of comprehension seem to turn on, and life returned to Kagura's eyes. She focused in on Umi immediately. "…Umi…" As strain and exhaustion mingled with the growing realization of exactly what she had done, Kagura broke. She dropped her face into her hands and started to cry as though her heart had broken.

At a momentary loss, Umi reached out and touched her friend's shoulder. "Hey, don't cry," she said, feeling her own throat tighten with the threat of tears. "Water's my thing, remember?" The weak attempt at a joke was rewarded by a choked laugh, and Kagura half-fell against her for a hug. "Come on, let's go find the others."

The two wandered back down to the field where they had fought. They weren't even halfway there when they spotted their other two teammates searching for them. Hikaru and Fuu were frantically scouring the landscape, trying to find them. "Fuu! Up here!" Umi called, quickening her pace. Kagura followed closely behind her.

It wasn't until they neared the other two, though, that Kagura stopped and held back a bit. But it proved to be an unnecessary action. Hikaru glanced at Umi, who nodded, and promptly rushed forward to fling her arms around Kagura in a tight hug. "You're okay!"

"I…yes, I am," Kagura said, returning the hug a bit awkwardly. She glanced up, and saw the other two standing just behind Hikaru, watching her with smiles. "Fuu, Umi…girls, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

Fuu held up a hand. "Given the circumstances, I don't think it's completely necessary to apologize. But I think we'll have to talk later. Sorilbran is gone," she shuddered here, leaving Umi and Hikaru to wonder exactly how the man had been dispatched, "and Aeric got away. But before he left, he said something about how he would kill us after Cephiro fell."

There was no need for further explanation on that one. "We need to get back to Cephiro," Hikaru said. "As soon as possible. If there's trouble there…" she glanced up towards the sky. "Rayearth? Is Caliana safe? Are the others all right?"

"_**All is well in the capital. The Princess is safe,"**_ the mashin replied immediately. It was rather like he had been anticipating that sooner or later, they would think to ask about the Princess' welfare. Not that there had ever been any cause for worry, though, as far as the girls were concerned. They trusted their mashin implicitly.

"Should we go back to Cephiro right away?" Kagura asked. To say she looked nervous was an vast understatement, and not entirely unfounded, given the circumstances, but she looked determined.

"I think we had better. We can work out everything else later. We'll get in touch with the boys once we have the chance," Umi said firmly, drawing her sword. "The mashin will get us there the fastest. And I think we need to hurry." She glanced up towards the sky, as though looking for some unknown star hiding behind the clouds. "We're at war. And something tells me that we're going to be needed.

The others followed suit and clutched their weapons. Kagura, however, didn't. She looked down at the ground, her hands toying together in front of her. "Do they know…?"

It took them a moment to realize what she meant. Did the others in Cephiro know what had happened to her, and what she had done? Did they know she had been taken, used, manipulated, more or less brainwashed into doing terrible things? If they did, there was precious little way that she could reasonably expect them to welcome her back into the Palace with open arms, as they had when she had first landed in Cephiro.

Strange. It really hadn't been that long since she had first come to these worlds by a twist of fate that had left her in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or was it the right place at the right time? Whatever the case, it was that one moment of incredible timing that had sent her to adventures she had never dreamed possible…and led her to murder.

She had spoken of atonement and penance to Lycoris. But could she really pay for all of this? Was there any possible way for her to atone for everything she had done? …was she truly strong enough for that?

A hand touched her shoulder, and she realized that she had been looking at the ground and letting herself get lost in her thoughts. She jumped slightly and lifted her head, shaking off her woolgathering, and was a bit startled to realize that Umi was smiling at her. "Umi?"

"We should get going," the Knight of Windam said simply. "There isn't much time, and they're waiting for us." She grinned and cocked her head expectantly to one side. "Are you ready to go?"

Kagura swallowed hard, steeled herself, and nodded. "I think so…"

"Then let's do it."

Fuu and Hikaru were waiting, their swords in their hands. "Is everything okay?" Fuu asked.

"I think so," Umi said. She shot a glance back at Kagura. "And even if it's not, it will be, sooner or later."

"…okay, when the hell did you grow up?" Kagura blurted out without meaning to. She slapped a hand over her mouth immediately after she said it, as though punishing her lips for being bad. What was wrong with her? She had no right to be making jokes like that!

…except Umi was laughing. "Oh my god, that's music to my ears!" She actually clapped her hands in delight. "I never thought I'd see the day when I'd miss hearing you give me crap!"

"Come on, girls," Hikaru said with a grin. "Let's get to Cephiro." Without waiting for any further encouragement, she held her sword aloft in a familiar gesture and made the call: "RAYEARTH!" She vanished in a flare of red light.

Fuu was right on her heels: "WINDAM!"

Umi gave her an encouraging look. "Don't worry. It's going to be all right." She glanced up. "SELECE!"

Now alone on the field, Kagura took one final look around, then glanced down at the weapon in her hand. Decision made, she closed her eyes, raised her sword, and took a deep breath. The name didn't come out quite as strong as she had hoped, but it was enough, and she felt a pull—

"LYCORIS!"

* * *

**PS.** _As it stands right now, there will be two more chapters to this story, and then right into the third part of the trilogy, which I have about a million and a half ideas for, and am in the frantic process of outlining. The prologue for the third story is already done, and I am anticipating posting it around Christmas. So that's where things stand with that._

_The title of this chapter, "Dawn and Twilight," was actually the original name for this story before I decided that it was going to be a trilogy and therefore wanted the titles to sort of line up a bit. But I liked that title, so I kept it for this chapter. Also, the name Lycoris does actually mean "twilight." It was originally a Greek name. Nifty!_

…_yeah, that's all I've got. Hope you'll tune back in for the next chapter. Thanks for reading, all! Much love!_


	15. Unresolved

**AN:** After some consideration, I decided to just wrap the story up with this chapter. Obligatory lengthy author's notes at the end, please read for details and final thoughts XD Hope you enjoy the conclusion. I don't own MKR. It belongs to CLAMP!

**Unresolved**

When they all opened their eyes again, they were not in the mashin, as they had expected to be. That was who they had called for, and when they had vanished in those flashes of light, they had fully anticipated riding their mashin back to the safety of Cephiro to rejoin with their friends there.

Instead, they found themselves back outside the dorm, where they had vanished from in the first place, when Sorilbran's magic had stolen them away in a blatant attempt to show off his powers and take them to their deaths.

It was different from their previous journeys: prior, they had always been taken from Tokyo Tower and deposited there, finding that no time had passed at all by the power of the Creator. This time, they had been been both taken and returned to their campus in the middle of the night, sent back wearing the pajamas they had been wearing the night they had left (except for Kagura, wearing jeans and a jacket)…but the sun was just beginning to rise behind them. A difference in magic or capabilities? They didn't know.

Precious little about this trip to Cephiro had made sense or found closure for them. So many unanswered questions, and so many things left unresolved. And now they had been taken away from that, from the world that they were certain needed them.

Kagura closed her eyes and tilted her chin up for a moment, as though she was trying to hear music being played far away, just out of comfortable listening range. "There's nothing," she said quietly, finally. "We're back. We're shut out."

"But it's not fair!" Hikaru protested in an unconscious echo of the very words she had spoken upon their first return from Cephiro, after Emeraude's death and the truth of Zagato's treason had been shown to them.

"They're at war," Fuu said softly. "Cephiro and Aldarba are at war with the Dark." She looked out towards the sky, painted red and orange with the rising sun. "Do they have much that can counter their magic? Clef's powers, Presea's and Lantis' weapons, Ascot's monsters…would it be enough? Or do they need the mashin to win?"

"It took a Magic Knight's sacrifice to stop it the first time," Hikaru added softly. "After her teammates were killed in the battle." A gentle reminder of what Amaya, Michiko, and Sachi had sacrificed to stop the Dark when Xander had taken to it and brought it to power in Cephiro all that time ago.

Kagura looked down at the ground. She didn't say anything, but her face and posture made it clear what was going through her head: IThis is all my fault./I

"It's not over," Umi said suddenly. When they all looked at her curiously, she elaborated. "Sorilbran brought us there to destroy us by adding fuel to Kagura's fire and setting her on us. We stopped that from happening, all four of us," she glanced at Kagura, who failed to return Umi's smile. "But really, I don't think we're done in Cephiro. Not yet. We won't be done until the war is over and both kingdoms are safe."

"Umi's right," Hikaru said. Her smile echoed Umi's, and she turned her face up towards the light of dawn, closing her eyes. "We'll go back, and we'll be able to help Cephiro again."

_**-o-**_

Umi was no little surprised to realize that Takeshi's ID card was still in her pocket from when she had borrowed it to go outside and investigate the disturbance in the wake of Kagura's disappearance. It felt like that had all happened months ago, instead of the several days they had spent in the other world.

They hurried back to Takeshi's room, taking great care not to be seen. It was still quiet hours, and since they were girls in a men's dorm area, they were technically supposed to be escorted through the area. It was easily the campus' most broken policy. But they made it back without being seen; it was still early enough that most of the dorm's residents, being college kids, were still asleep.

Takeshi's ID card was attached to his keyring, and so they had quick and easy access to his dorm room. Umi made a mental note to apologize to him for running off with his stuff. She was sure that he would forgive her. After he teased her into a fury, of course.

None of them had spoken since they snuck into the building and were walking through the hallways, not wanting to get in trouble. It wasn't until they walked into the room and shut the door that anyone said anything. The room was dark when they entered.

"Takeshi, you are not going to believe what happened," Umi said in a rush. She reached out to turn on the light as she kept talking. "We went back to Cephiro and--" The words died in her throat as the lights flickered on and she got a good look at the room.

It was empty.

She had thought that he was perhaps asleep in the bed. But though the bedding was disheveled like someone had been in bed, there was no sign of him in the room.

"Where is he?" Hikaru asked from behind Umi.

"I don't know…"

"Oh no…" Kagura moaned, causing all three of them to turn around and stare at her.

Or more specifically, what had prompted her despairing outburst.

Earlier, when Umi had found Kagura missing, she had come into the room to see Cephirean runes scrawled on the wall, proclaiming a wish for death to Cephiro's Magic Knights.

Now Cephirean runes were marking the back of the door to Takeshi's dorm room, delivering a different but equally chilling message: ONE FOR THE OTHER.

"One for the other…" Fuu murmured with a glance at Kagura. "They mean Kagura and Takeshi. It's magic, it has to be…"

"So because we took Kagura back…they took Takeshi?" Umi said, not even bothering to try and hide her horror at the idea. "Oh my god, oh my god…"

Kagura was clinging to Umi's arm and crying openly, without shame. "My fault…it's all my fault!"

"Sorilbran's last laugh in our faces. A fail-safe," Fuu said, her brilliant mind quickly tying the pieces together in the most logical manner. "He was confident that he wouldn't fail, but on the chance that he did, he couldn't let us win completely. So he set the spell. If Kagura was brought back from Cephiro, the spell would activate and take Takeshi instead."

"He's in Cephiro with no way to defend himself…oh my god," Umi put her head in free hand, her other hand holding onto Kagura. "We're Magic Knights, we could defend ourselves, but he has nothing, he's a normal guy…"

None of them wanted to say the possibility out loud, but they were all thinking the same thing: unless Takeshi got extremely lucky and was found by one of their Cephirean allies, there was little chance of him surviving the encounter.

If that happened, then the last laugh was Sorilbran's after all.

**_-o-_**

Fuu could count the number of times she had been running seriously late in her life on two hands without using all ten fingers. Right now, however, she was unfortunately inching one finger closer to running out. She was LATE, and the other girls would be waiting for her.

After everything that had happened, all four of the girls desperately wanted a rest, but there was no time to take a break. There was too much to do between keeping up with school and trying to find a way back into Cephiro. They had told friends that Takeshi had been forced to leave due to a family emergency; it was a suitable excuse, both explaining his absence and not requiring any time limit for his return. He could be gone for a length of time without raising eyebrows.

Right now, she was hurrying to meet Umi, Hikaru, and Kagura at a little café near the campus. It was a favorite place of theirs, and the spot they had chosen to meet and discuss what they could possibly do to fix things. And of course, she picked now to run late.

She raced around a corner, the café finally coming into sight just half a block away…and she nearly faceplanted into the sidewalk as she almost tripped over a little girl. Fuu quickly righted herself and spun around. "I'm so sorry! Are you all…right…" The words died in her throat as she got a good look at the little girl.

Dark hair and bright violet eyes looked quizzically up at her. "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

Fuu nodded, one hand threading through her hair. "I really need to watch where I'm going."

"Why are you going so fast?" the girl asked.

"I'm going to meet some friends, and I'm running late."

"Oh. I'm going to meet my friends, too."

As if on cue, there was a voice from about half a block over. "Malia! Hurry up!" A look over revealed the speaker: another little girl with long brown hair had her hands cupped around her mouth. Beside her was a third girl, this one with hair so blonde as to be called white.

Now frozen in place, Fuu studied the little girl closely, remembering a wish she had made with all her heart in Cephiro as her enemies died in front of her. A wish for three girls so like herself and her own fellow Magic Knights, who had suffered and sacrificed and battled and lost, even though it was in a far different way.

Be free. Be yourselves. Be happy.

The little girl, whose friend had called her Malia, glanced back up at Fuu, smiled brightly…

And winked at her.

* * *

**PS.** _Whew. Okay, full admission: I'm not quite as happy with this story as I was with Tears of the Sea, and a lot of that I blame on the computer glitch that ate my original outline. So it was a situation where I was trying to very quickly rebuild something that I had spent a great deal of time on previously. The rebuilt version never comes out as nicely as the original did. I hemmed and hawed over it for a long time, and for quite possibly the first time in my fanfic writing life...I gave up._

_But the story is complete, and it has served its purpose in the sense that everything is neatly in place for the third and final part to the trilogy. This became a trilogy because I had so many ideas that I needed to write more for them all to have a home, and I cheerfully admit that I saved a lot of my favorites for the concluding story. The outline is about half done, and I doubt I'll write too much of the story itself until the outline is completed, which is where I wound up having trouble with this story. At the risk of bragging, the third part has the potential to be sort of epic. We'll see what I can manage. I also hereby promise that I will NOT take as long to write that one as I did this one. Once the outline is finished, anyway._

_The prologue for the third and final part is posted and ready to go, though. So thank you for joining me on **Song of the Wind**, and I sincerely hope you'll stick around for the conclusion of the trilogy, entitled **Cry of the Flame.** Thank you for reading, all! Much love!_


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